


Living souls and the problems of afterefects (alternative version)

by lemarq359



Category: Bleach
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Drama, Family Secrets, Hell, Horror, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Murder, Mystery Character(s), Original Character(s), Other, Past Child Abuse, Past Drug Addiction, Small Towns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-03
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2020-07-30 08:16:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 71,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20094145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lemarq359/pseuds/lemarq359
Summary: Alternative version of the third part of the Living-Souls-Arc. After escaping the Kurosaki's and his old life, Keigo and his son face new trouble as old enemies return and new problems develop. Who will survive?





	1. Chapter 1

This is an alternative version of the thrid part of the 'Living-Souls-Trillogy' with a whole new and different plot. As it was originally planned...

Here is a little overview about what happened so far:

The Kurosaki's family secret was exposed in TV. The Kurosakis and thier friends had to flee to the Soul Society but left Yuzu and Keigo behind. Later one estranged from them over the last years because he did not endure anymore to be 'just tolerated'. And for the Soul Society, he is the main-suspect.

After Keigo (who developed a drug-problem) is left by his pregnant girlfriend, he safes her from an assassination. But he is arrested because Yuzu commited suicide in his apartment.

Right before he gives an interview in prison, he is visited by Kazui and Ichika who believe in his innocence. With a special-device, they are able to record Keigo's memories on a video-tape and thanks to this his innocence is proven. When the Kurosakis and thier friends go to his place to look after him, Ichigo accidentaly drops a report in Keigo's kitchen in which he is blamed for everything. Keigo finds it, gets panicked and flees...

Right after he escapes his 'friends', he drives with the elevator downstairs. Armed with a fire-extinguisher...

Alternative chapter-ending:

Keigo's grip on the fire extinguisher was so hard, as like his life was depending on it. Anyway it was so. There was no doubt that he is as good as dead. If Ichigo doesn't cut him into pieces, Renji would because he hit him with this thing. Or Tatsuki will, because he respond to her slap with another slap. Or Orihime because he hurt Tatsuki. Or so on... Full of fear Keigo watched the display to look where he was now. He had to get out of here. They will already wait for him downstairs. It was a crap that this dammed thing had no direct access to the parking-garage. But maybe... he could try it... he knew that they will wait for him in the lobby. Dammed, they are as fast as super-speedsters... But maybe... he knew that there was a sole window in the corridor of the third floor...

"ICHIGO... Are you okay?" Orihime screamed scared when she ran down the stairs to look for Ichigo, who laid groaning on the half-landing and lift up carefully after falling down the stair.

"O... Orihime... We... have to stop Keigo! We have to fix this..." Ichigo moaned and ran down the stairwell as fast as he could...

The elevator stopped in the thrid floor, like Keigo wanted. When he left the cabin he quickly pushed the button to close the doors, so the elevator continues going down. If they wait for him downstairs they shouldn't mention that it stopped. Armed with the fire-extinguisher Keigo rushed towards the window and used it to hit as strong as he could against the reinforced glass until it finally cracked.

He felt him. Ichigo was close. He stormed downstairs in the stairwell and would reach him in a few seconds. Once again Keigo smashed the fire-extinguisher against the already cracked glass until it finally shattered completely and he was able to climb out. Down there under the window was a garbage-container. But jumping from this height could severly injur him or even kill. He couldn't risk that...

Keigo's property-manager was surprised when she saw a weird black shadow opening the door to the stairwell and entering the lobby to wait in front of the elevator. She just recieved a very worried call from Keigo's neigbours who told her that he is screaming like a maniac and spraying around with a fire-extinguisher. But when she saw the shadow she froze in fear before she slowly and carefully walked back into her office backwards.

Keigo meanwhile somehow managed to jump into the garbage-container in a way he doesn't get hurt so much. When he climbed out, he immediately ran towards the parking-garage...

His property-manger meanwhile decided to call the police. Ichigo, who heared that, first wanted to stop Keigo when he leaves the elevator and drive back upstairs with him. But when the doors slid open, he had to realize that Keigo was gone...

Later was somehow able to sneak into the parking-garage to reach his car. Of course it was locked and Keigo didn't have the key with him, because it was still upstairs in his apartment with his suppossed friends. Angrily he ran back. Maybe he catches a taxi?

Ichigo ran back upstairs in the stairway to look for Keigo in all floors. Maybe he hid in one of the other apartments. But than he saw the broken window in the third floor and the fire-extinguisher on the ground. Now he realized that Keigo jumped out right here...

Keigo ran away, he needed a car... no matter which one. The main thing was now to get away from here. Out of Tokyo, out of Japan, another planet whould be nice. Just away from Ichigo and the others. Far away, Keigo could see a vacant cab heading towards him. Keigo jumped on the street and lift his arms, forcing the driver to fullfill an emergency break. And much to his surprise... it was someone he knew... It was the same driver who drove him three times in last days...

"You again! I'm sorry, but today we won't follow anyone... the damage on the other car was..."

"I HAVE TO LEAVE!" Keigo screamed and forcefully opened the rear door to hide in the footwell. "DRIVE... no matter where. Just away from here!"

"Hey, what's going on?" the driver asked. It was really the same guy who drove Keigo aleady several times, and who's taxi got hardly damaged during the Haneda-incident. "Who do you pursue today?"

"Not I! They pursue me? And now go on, or do you want to die, too?"

After these words the driver got afraid and decided to drive...

While Ichigo left the parking-garage, where he tracked down Keigo's soul he tried to localize him. Keigo's soul was strong, he knew that. His soul was striking and shined very strong. So strong, that it felt like it was all around him and so not able to get localized properly...

Keigo meanwhile continued hiding in the footwell in the fond of the taxi and didn't mention the reiatsu he was radiating. The driver just did as ordered and drove while he tried to remain calm.

"Where now?"

"No matter! Out of the city!"

"Who pursues you?"

"You don't want to know that!"

"Okay... Where shall I drive you? To Tokai, maybe? Or maybe, Yamanashi?"

Keigo briefly thought about it. There were many forests and mountains in the Yamanashi Prefecture... It was a place someone could get lost pretty easy?"

"Yamanashi sounds fine!" Keigo said. The fact that he had no money with him and that the fare there would cost an immeasurable amount of money, he simply ignored. Dark clouds appeared on the sky...

Chapter break

After maybe an half and hour, Keigo slowly start to relax. After another half an hour, he was able to sit upright in the car. He didn't talk pretty much with the driver. They just left the Chuo-Expressway in Otsuki and headed towards north now. Everytime his driver asked, where to drive now, Keigo answered something without realy thinking about it. And so they reached the Fukashiro-mountain-pass. In the meantime, it began to rain pretty hard and it was pitch black outside. In this godforsaken nowhere, there were not even real street lights.

Keigo had to thought about a lot of things. He hoped that they never learn about Akira and her child. He hoped that she stays in Dubai a little bit longer. At least as long as she disappears from the Soul Society's radar. And thier child... he had to safe it. No matter what happens. And no matter what he has to do. His child's safety was his no. 1 priority now...

"Would you please tell me when we arrive? I am tired!"

Keigo woke up from his lethargy when he heared the driver wailing. Now Keigo could see that the fare almost reached 70.000 Yen. Money he had on his bank account, but not with him...

"Excuse me? Where are we?"

"I don't know that, too! We just left Otsuki. On the sighn over there I can see that if the turn left, we will go to Fukashiro. And if we turn right we will pass the dam and the reservoir and go up the mountain." his driver said worried. Slowly he got a little bit paniced, too, because Keigo and his behaviour scared him. "I don't know who is following you but I think they won't find you anyway here in the middle of nowhere?!"

Keigo didn't want to even think about. He just nooded silently and ordered the driver to turn right to take the road up the mountain. The driver followed his instructions only recultantly.

"I'm sorry for beeing honest now, but you really scare me!" the driver said. They slowly drove over the dark and curvy mountain-pass higher and higher, leaving the villages in the alley behind. "May I... switch on the radio? I don't endure this silence!"

Keigo did not endure it, too. He never did... "Please! It is your car!"

The man pushed a button to make some music. But now they aired some news.

"...the storm is heading further into the country and will reach Otsuki in near future before heading towards Koshu. The national wheather service advices everyone to avoid the mountain-roads and the roads in the valleys. The risk of landslides is high..."

"Did you hear that? I think we turn around here and go back to the last village..."

"Go on!" Keigo replied. He didn't know where to go, too. Dammed, he even didn't know what expects him now... Now that his life is over. There was no way back. There was no turn around! They still hunt him...

"...an urgent search message: Well known Seiyuu and actor Keigo Asano is missed! Asano suffered a mental-breakdown and needs medical treatment. Asano is around one meter and seventy-five tall, has brown hairs, is possibly wearing a white shirt, brown pants, white socks and no shoes. He has injuries in his face and on his head. If you see him please call the police immediately..."

After this report, the driver stopped immediately and denied to drive on. "THAT'S ENOUGH! I push the alarm now and contact my dispatcher. And than we drive back into the valley..."

"NO!" Keigo screamed. "NO, I CAN'T GO BACK!"

"LOOK ON YOURSELF! CAN'T YOU SEE THAT YOU NEED HELP..." the driver shouted back. "WHOEVER IS CHASING YOU, THE POLICE WILL HELP YOU..."

"NO! THE POLICE CAN'T HELP ME..."

The driver switched into reverse and wanted to turn around... when suddenly a hard punsh hit the rear of the taxi...

"What was that?" the driver asked after something heavy hit the rear part of the car...

Keigo looked to the rear. A big rock was laying right behind the taxi. Shining red under the taillights of the taxi under the rain like a eerie herald. And it shouldn't be the only one, as they saw when they looked up the slope...

The extreme hard rain, the strong winds and maybe Keigo's incredible ability to get into trouble, weakened the slope over the road so hard, that it slowly began to slide. Causing rocks, trees and mud heading towards them and thier taxi.

"DRIVE!" Keigo screamed and the driver instinctively switched into a forward gear and fully pushed the throttle to escape the landslide.

With squeaking tires, the taxi start to move on the soaking wet road and left the spot only two seconds before a tree crashed on the place were the taxi just stood. The men screamed when stones and rocks start to rain on the car and shattered the windshield. The car lurched over the road when it drove threw the next corner way to fast. The tires slipped over the wet road and the taxi crashed with it's tail against a roadsign. Desperately the driver tried to stop, but the wet road was as slippery as soap. And so the car made a full turn around before crashing into the barrier. The driver, who opened his seatbelt after the first rock came down to look what happened, was thrown out threw the destroyed windshield and disappeared into the darkness right when Keigo realized that the taxi was lift up on the barrier like on a ramp and was going to crash down the steep slope down into the valley...

Nobody could hear Keigos loud scram...

Cliffhanger ending...

This is the alternative ending to the second part. In the next chapter the real story begins.


	2. Chapter 2

This is the regular first Chapter of the Story... the previous chapter was the cliffhanger-ending of the second part.  
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"...Keigo Asano... is dead!" the visibly shocked Makoto told in her prime-time news-show. "The famous and popular voice-actor lost his life last night in a terrible accident in the Yamanashi-prefecture..."

The picture of Makoto and the burned wreckage of the taxi that was displayed in the background freezed and turned black-and-white while a male voice continued... "It is September eighth 2015, when newscaster Makoto Hirabata has to take all her courage together and was forced to tell all of her viewers about the death of her good friend Keigo Asano. A case, that even after all those years, has left so many questions unanswered. Why Keigo Asano fled with a taxi from Tokyo to Yamanashi the previous evening? Where he wanted to go? What was he so afraid of? We talked with witnesses, friends and acquaintace to reconstruct the last hours of the tragic life of the popular voice-actor. In todays episode of 'They were too young to die!' the case of Keigo Asano..."

The man who stood in his kitchen and listened to his TV while cooking, immediately rushed back into the living-room after hearing these words, to change the channel. He neighter wanted to see nor to hear it. It was a repeat anyway and half of the content wasn't even true, because the people they interviewed had no clue anyway. The last time he watched it, he was so upset that he wasn't able to sleep for three days. Now he was upset. Upset and tense. He immediately opened the window to let some fresh air into the room. He really needed it now.

The man, who lived here in this small two-room-apartment, in the second floor, in a small town in the north of Hokkaido, was actually preparing dinner. But this stupid report in the TV, which was switched now to a childrens-channel that aired an American cartoon, caused something inside him. It torn up old wounds... the burns maybe that covered his arms, his legs, his back and a part of his forehead. The burns on the forehead, were covered with his hairs. Old burns... from a fire in his apartment... that's what he told everyone at least. He had to smoke a cigarette now. A bad habit he never was able to overcome. Every time he was very stressed he had to smoke a cigarette. They were hidden in a shelv in the kitchen. The dinner could wait for five minutes. With a cigarette, a lighter and a glass with a little bit water in it, he went out on the balcony. On his way there, he passed a mirror. He stopped to look on himself... It happened! What he expected happened: He didn't see Masaru Osaka, a 38-years-old administrative-employee, originaly from Kyoto... he saw Keigo Asano, 39-years-old, former voice-actor and drug-junkie from Tokyo... no... from Naruki to be honest...

Keigo Asano, that's him. He was not Masaru Osaka, born September seventh (Keigo's official day of death) 1987 in Kameoka near Kyoto. He was not a widower, who lost his wife briefly after thier second wedding anniversary when a broken heater in the next-door apartment light up thier home. An terrible accident, in which he recieved all his scars on his arms, his legs and his face. He was not an orphan, whose parents died years ago because of cancer and who had no siblings. No! He was a liar. A fake! A fake, that's hiding here in the sparsely populated area in the north of Hokkaido in the Okhotsk Subprefecture from the rest of the world. Or at least tried to. Even if he already had an official ID and a passport identifing him as Masaru Osaka... he still was Keigo Asano.

Later one settled in, into the old and dirty plastic-chair on the balcony and took a deep breath from the cigarette, while listening to the Sea of Okhotsk that was not far away, but far enough to not to be seen from here.

When Keigo build up his new life, he had to be very carefully. He knew that there were people who loved to ask questions and who were very curious. Back then he was like that and so he knew how painful that could be. The name was a spontaneous idea. The fact that he had absolutely no documents, he explained with the fire he lost his wife in and got injured. As a former voice-actor, it was easy for him to appropiate a foreign dialect. And because he 'died' in the Yamanashi Prefecture, he choosed the local Kyoto-Dialect. By now he was able to speak it like he never spoke anything else before. Here in the North, they wouldn't find them. Here they were safe. Keigo Asano wasn't anymore. He was dead. Burned in a taxi that crashed down a slope in the Yamanashi Prefecture and explode. How he survived... well... but he was happy that the driver survived, too. But he was severly injured, too... And now he was here...

"What happened to you that you do that?" Keigo, or actually Masaru... was scared for a brief moment and looked down into the slim alley between his house and the neigbouring building. The owner of the small restaurant, which was located there, looked on him reproachful. "What's going on, Osaka?"

"What are you talking about, Otami-san?" he answered with a counterquestion. Keiko Otami, his neigbour who run the small not well running restaurant, was a kind, helpful, open-hearted... but also awfully curious and slightly intrusive person in her 30s. Originally from Sapporo, in the West of the island, she once followed her husband here. A decision she regrets after her divorce several years ago. Keigo thought that her character is similar to like his was. But she was able to make friends way better than him back then. Maybe because of her handsome appearance and her bust. Latter didn't reached Orihime's league, but it was still eyecatching.

"I am talking about the cigarette! You are only smoking in absolute stresssituations?" she explained and pointed on the ciggy in Keigo's scarred hand. She was right. She knew him too good. Even if he had the reputation of the 'mysterious reserved loner' in this town. Ichigo had almost the same reputation back then...

"And I ask myself what is stinking here so bad?" another woman asked and Keigo looked down to face his neigbour from the apartment below.

"It is my lung, Kumuyoshi-san! And this one I really needed!" Keigo said while he took a last breath and droped it into the water in the glass to extinguish it. Hana Kumuyoshi, was a sprightly, slightly resolute pensionist, who was a advocate for good behaviour, decency and honor. In this petite little lady where 70 years of life-experience. Despite her obviously hard shell, she had a very soft core, that always cared for others and always had a good advice. It seemed that she heared everything while she was in her small garden, that was part of her apartment, to dry her clouthes.

"When you are stressed, you should look for a more reasonable hobby, instead of sitting in your apartment the whole day and glare on your computer." the pensionist said.

Keigo looked down on the both women, who were separated by a high fence from each other and looked up to him curiously. Both seemed to expect a justification.

"I am working very hard. And I do it from my 'home-office'! I am really stressed right now. I am very sorry, it the smore disturbed you!" Keigo said and lift up from the chair. "But I would really appreciate if you wouldn't mention this to Kenta. He doesn't like it... I mean anyway when I am stressed."

Kumuyoshi shrugged and left to look after the clouthes again: "Seriously, you should go on a vacation for a few days. You'll see, that will help you!"

Otami's respond was a bit more admonish: "Okay, but let me remind you... bottling up everything, only turns things worse... I need to get inside again. Maybe today will be at least a few more guests."

"It's not running well, isn't it?" Keigo asked to change the topic.

The restaurant-owner moaned unhappy and turned around again to look up to him. "Well... I am honest to you... I am writing down all of my income and my expenses... If I don't make a positive profit on at least one evening next week... I will go back to Sapporo and this shack can sink into the ocean..."

"Oh, than Kenta would be really mad! You know that he likes you so much!"

Otami smiled again. "Oh yes... I like him very much, too! He is one of my best customers..."

She went back into the restaurant with a smile on her face. The restaurant was really poorly visited. Keigo went inside again to get rid of the cigarette and to finish cooking before Kenta arrives home.

Kenta, (9 years and 6 months old, elementary-student, healthy, sporty, a little bit too big for his age), was the reason why Keigo became Masaru. He was the reason he didn't go to the police or to the hospital after the crash. He was the reason, Keigo hid in an abadoned cabin in the woods, to treat his injuries by himself. Kenta, was the reason for they two moves, since he was with him. The first one from Kyoto to Nagoya and the last one up here to the North, eight years ago.

Keigo was convinced, that living in a small-town was way safer than a life in a big-city, like Keigo had before. And he moved up here because he was convinced that neighter he, nor anyone else he know, had relatives or friends here. The Kurosaki's in any case (Keigo assumed that they weren't human anyway, so they had absolute no relatives anywhere on this world). All his former friends had no relatives here, too. He made months long research to be sure.

And now they lived here together. Keigo (alias Masaru) and his son Kenta (no alias). Kenta was the name, the boy's mother gave to him, before Keigo took the boy and kidnapped him to protect him from the Shinigami and from a life in fear. He was the only thing, 'Masaru' keeped from his 'Keigo-life'. Him, and his bad habit to smoke... Unlike him, the boy was not a fake... he was authentic...

While Keigo stired the curry in the pot, he could hear someone unlocking the door and than his son entering the small apartment.

"I am back..." he said.

"Kenta-chan... How are you?"

Keigo (Masaru) looked on his son. Kenta, was a healthy, lively and happy child, that didn't attract problems like his father always did. Kenta Osaka, was not aware what his father had to endure in the past. He was unaware of spirits, Shinigami and all the other trash. It was a godsent for Keigo that the boy didn't inherit this ability from him. It was no problem that the boy was a lookalike of him, had a striking (high) voice, too and was a happy nature. That was fine. The most important was that the boy was not able to see spirits... just like Keigo, since that awful night...

Anyway, despite the fact that Kenta was like a second Keigo (apperance, personality... lets hope the pevert thing doesn't even develops) he was way more sucsessful with his like. Unlike his father. He was popular at school, had friends who like to spend time with him instead of beeing just tolerated and here in this town he was very popular among the neigbours and was good integrated. Keigo never was... on the contrary: In school nobody could stand him, his 'friends' never wanted to spend time with him and here in this town he avoid talking to the people. The neigbours called him 'The foreigner'. Maybe because of his exaggeratedly strong dialect, while Kenta was not just able to talk Kyoto-dialect perfectly, but also the local Hokkaido-dialect.

"Hi, daddy... I'm fine... I... I have some very good news!" the boy said with a daring smile. That meaned he had good news, but expected a reward in return.

"Oh, really..." Keigo said while the alarm-clock on the stove start to beep. "Oh... wait! The dinner!"

Keigo switched off the stove and stired the curry for one more time. In the meantime, his son took something out of his school-bag.

"Your homework?"

"Finished at Higuchi-kun's place, after the baseball-training."

"Good! The money for your field-trip?"

"I gave it to Edoma-sensei today before the first class and she gave me the confirmation that I can join!"

„Great! And what did you want to tell me and what do you want in return?"

"Why do you think, that I want something?"

"Because this is your 'I-need-money-face'!" Keigo said and imitated his son's expression.

"Is this my 'I-need-money-face'? But I just wanted to ask you something because I got such a good grade in my test..." the boy said with a bright smile and handed his test to his father.

"Wow... Respect! You know how to use your brain..." Keigo said when he looked over the test and saw that his son's teacher wrote the comment 'best grade in glass' under the grade.

"So... What I wanted to ask you... You promised to me that, if I get a good grade in the test... you will allow me to watch this cool new movie in cinema? The one we talked about?"

"You mean... this new one? This German Superhero-Movie which is actually rated PG-13..." Keigo realized while he put some of the dish into his son's bowl so they could eat together. "You know that you are a little bit too young to watch this movie?"

"But I may watch it, if I am accompained by an adult! That's the truth. I asked the cashier there and she confirmed it! The movie is played tonight, oh please Daddy! All my friends already watched it!"

Keigo looked on his son slighly shocked. "You want me to go to the cinema with you? In town?"

"Yeah, the cinema in the center, near the beach? Oh, please Daddy..."

"Ehm... well..." Keigo was not against the fact that his son wanted to go the cinema. But he was against the idea to show himself in public.

Even if he had a new name... everyone still remembered Keigo Asano. Once he was one of the contrys most famous voice-actors. That was one reason why he avoid his son watching the older animes he dubbed back then. And even if he was not that easily recognizable with all the scars in his face and the turn gray hairs, he still lived with the fear that some day, someone could recognize him.

"Daddy, please... The people already call you a 'Hikikomori' because you never leave the house..."

"WHA... that's ridiculous!" Keigo said. He was well aware what a 'Hikikomori' was. That was the japanese word for a person, who lives a seclusive and withdraw from society and seek for isolation and confinement. Keigo just wanted to respond when he saw his son's curious and asking expression. In shock he realized that he was right. The boy was really right: Keigo (Masaru) was a 'Hikikomori'. He worked almost only at home, he did almost all shopping online, he almost never went outside and his whole life seemed to happen here in this room. His son meanwhile was living the free and safe life he wanted him to live. Suddenly Keigo realized... he was turning into a more wretched version of Ichigo, who also spend much time at home to avoid trouble... "Kenta, finish off!"

"Finish off?"

"Yes! Finish off... Or do you want to go to the cinema, hungry? And you don't want to miss the beginning?..."

Around a half hour later, both walked together to the town-center. There was not much to see in this small town. And also not much to experience. There were a few shops, a soccer-field, the small cinema (but not always with very good movies), the small elementary-school, Kenta attend and the small harbour where a few fish-trawlers waited for sailing out again. A small, quiet, almost awful boring place where nothing exciting happens. That was a taxi-driver telling to his passenger, too. He was driving him to Nakashibetsu Airport and told him something about the area while they drove threw the town and stopped at the red traffic-lights.

Keigo, who was holding Kenta's hand, was watching some pictures that were hanging in the display window of a travel-agency. He remembered his neigbour's words a few hours ago and was thinking about a vacation. Kenta meanwhile was more interessted in the other people and the passing cars. But than he was especially interested in this taxi, that was standing just 6 feet away. Something was bothering him with this taxi. Or more presicely, the man who was sitting in the rear of the taxi.

The man in the rear of the taxi, was just on his way from a doctor's-seminar in Shari to Nakashibetsu Airport to take the evening flight to Tokyo. From there he wanted to take the train to his hometown Karakura. He didn't really listen to the driver for the whole ride and stopped listening to him completely when they hold at his red traffic-light. Suddenly, he felt something. Something really really weird.

Kenta looked on the man, while latter looked on Kenta...

Suddenly Kenta felt like he was flying... but not in the enjoyable way... it felt like someone or something throw him threw the air violently while he saw flying monsters in front of him, trying to snap him with thier giant mouths... while he, dressed in a black robe and armed with a huge sword, cut the monster in the middle. And suddenly... out of nowhere... he saw himself... just older... a teenager... with big insect-like things sticking on his head... and suddenly, he saw himself... the feeling of beeing thrown stopped, but now he felt like he gained several hundred pounds and his skin felt like it was on fire. It was like looking into a mirror and his eyes turned completely black before the blood start to splatt out of them...

All this and even more detailed, the man in the taxi saw, too. Just like this kid... a kid that looked shocking familiar... and that pulled him into this nightmare, too...

Kenta watched the blood running down his arms and big lacerations opening all over him. He wanted to scream in pain. Scream in fear. Scream because he didn't know what was going on here. And scream because of the big black monsters floating all around him...

Kenta's trip into the horror-show suddenly stopped, when the taxi departed again and the boy and the man lost eye-contact to each other. The man in the taxi was horrified... because he knew that that was no immagination. It was some kind of vision! But of what? The past? The future? The boy meanwhile became pale and silenced. Keigo, who didn't see the other person turned around and had to see that his son was crying. Not knowing what happened and in fear that it might happen again...

The man in the taxi turned around shocked to look after the child, that was still standing there. He could see him clearly. This time they didn't have eye-contact, because the boy turned to a man, he wasn't able to identify because a sign concealed his face. The only thing he mentioned was that the man had scars on his arms.

"HOLD ON!" Ichigo Kurosaki, a doctor from Karakura and secretly a so called 'substitute-shinigami' screamed.

The scared driver breaked and turned around to look after his passenger. "What? What happened?"

"Back there!" Ichigo ordered.

"Please, what?"

"BACK TO THE CROSSROAD!" Ichigo screamed. "GO ON!"

The driver switched into reverse and drove back...

"Kenta, what's going on?" Keigo asked shocked. "Come on, the movie starts soon..."

"Daddy... I... what was that?"

"What was what?" Keigo asked. "Kenta, do you feel okay? Come with me..."

Keigo took his son's hand again to enter the town's small cinema threw the next door just a few metres away...

The taxi stopped with squeaking tires back where ist was just a few moments before. There Ichigo had to realize that the child was gone... Now he had to cry by himself... because he knew... If this child just saw and felt everything he did at the same time... that was unforgivable... especially because he knew that face... this face which was shocking familiar to him... no... he knew exactly where and when he saw this scared face the last time... on that evening when they went to Keigo...

Please Review.  
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Author's note: The name of Keigo's son is changed from Keigo jr. to Kenta because of the plot. The 'present-timeline' of 'Exposed: The Kurosaki-Gate!' never happened, and Keigo wouldn't call his son after himself, when they are hiding. The story takes place in the year 2025, ten years after the previous storys and 12 years after the Bleach-Epilouge.

The town portrayed in this story is fictional. But some mentioned city-names and locations are real and for orientation, like the Okhotsk subprefecture.


	3. Chapter 3

Keigo was very surprised about his son's sudden change of mood. Just a few seconds ago he wanted to see the movie urgently and suddenly he looks like he doesn't want to be here.

“What's going on? Do you don't want to watch the movie anymore?“

Kenta looked on his father confused. Was it just imagination? A dream? Who was the man with the weird hair-colour? And where the bloody wounds, he just had on his arms were gone?“

“Kenta, I am talking to you! What's going on?“ Keigo asked again.

“You... didn't see that?“

“No, what?“

“I... I think... I have hallucinations!“ Kenta said and looked around again. Suddenly he felt like he was able to feel the man from the cab. And he was moving away from them quickly...

Inside the taxi, Ichigo sat as white as chalk in the rear while the driver departed again to get him to the airport.

“You look like you just saw a ghost!“ the driver asked shocked. “Are you okay?“

The first sentence had so many irony. Ichigo was always able to see ghosts. Well, he was the son of a Shinigami and a Quincy and had very mighty powers by himself, too. Seeing ghosts was normal for him. But now he really 'saw a ghost'. A ghost, they were looking for, for ten years now. A ghost, they searched the whole Rukongai (the part of the Soul Society where all dead souls arrive) for. A ghost, who remembered him his guilt. But it was impossible. That was never him... That was a child! But... according to his age, no it was impossible... Keigo was 29 when he died. This boy was not older than eleven. 10 maybe, at most...

Mentioned child and his father, luckily got the last two remaining tickets and looked for thier way to thier seats. The small cinema was the only realy good place for entertainment in this small town. When they sat down, Kenta decided to forget what happened. It was not the first time his own minds didn't did what they should do and his immagination sometimes pranked him in the past. It was a very long and exhausting day. He was simply stressed. Now he should concentrate on the great movie, he was so exited for and all his friends already watched.

The lights went off and the curtain opened slowly. Now they would play some ads and trailers first. Keigo slowly calmed down, too. He liked superhero-movies, too and he really had to get out of the apartment. When the trailers launched, both 'Osakas' saw one that would confuse both of them...

The camera flew over a dark scary town during full-moon. And than a figure in a black Kimono was visible, standing on the top of a high power pole...

Keigo avoid a loud scream... That had to be Rukia... Kenta was really upset, too... he knew that costume from somewhere... he just saw it...

Than the picture changed to a young man with a slightly bright hair-colour, sitting on his bed, who looked to the young woman in the Kimono in surprise and in shock...

“We believe in what we see... what we feel... and what we want... But what if all of it... becomes true...“ a male voice said with a deep, slightly threatening voice to increase the tention...

The picture changed back to the Shinigami who looked into the camera crossly and start to murmur: “It is close...“

'NEXT SPRING!'

The boy with the bright hairs ran out of his house and stood now in front of of a humongous Hollow...

“...If you want to safe your family...“ the Shinigami-Woman yelled while single fragments of different people were shown. Possibly 'Ichigo's-family' or at least the actors who portray them. “...you have to use my powers...“

'WE BREAK THREW THE LIMITS BETWEEN THE LIFE AND THE DEATH'

The picutre changed back to the Shinigami-Woman and the boy. And how she impaled him with her Zanpakutou and blending him with a bright light... shortly after, people could see how he land on the street. Now wearing a black Kimono by himself. The cut off hand of the hollow fell on the ground right behind him and vanished...

The Shinigami-woman, now completely dressed in white, looked towards him and asked shocked: “This strench? Are you really... just a human?“

The 'new-Shinigami' turned around. “What else? I am just a human...“

'BLEACH'... ONLY IN THEATERS!

Keigo had to use both hands to hold his mouth to not to scream like a maniac. He couldn't belive it... There was a movie about Ichigo! He didn't know what to think about that. But he really wanted to know who was responsible for this and how this person dared to. Because he knew, if he would be 'still alive', they would blame him for this crap... Kenta meanwhile was surprised but also confused and curious. For some reason, he felt the desire to watch this movie... but he was also kind of afraid of it...

Neighter Keigo, nor Kenta were able to focus on the following movie. And Keigo was so upset that he wouldn't be able to sleep for the following two nights.

Another one, who was really upset right now, was Ichigo Kurosaki. He reached the airport and went to his flight. This child didn't get out of his head. His face, his posture, this smile and this vision... Ichigo was sure that the boy saw it, too. Totally apathetic, Ichigo went to his Gate, boarded the plane to Tokyo and remained silent for the whole time. The flight-attendants mentioned his bad mood and regulary asked him, if he was okay. Everytime he lied, and said that he was fine. But it was not true. He was trying hard to not to cry. All the memories shot back into his mind...

Kurosaki-Gate and it's consequences... Keigo... his sister... Keigo's death was a huge scandal in the Soul Society. Even bigger that Kurosaki-Gate itself. The real reason was so tragic that it turned him more mad than sad...

After Kurosaki-Gate was over, another investigation was innitiated. One, focusing more on Keigo. Ichigo, his family and his friends where excluded from this investigation. What they figured out, finally answered some open questions, but still left many questions unanswered.

So the real reason and orgin of Kurosaki-Gate was really Keigo! But not as everyone thought first. He was not the cause, the was the actual target! The reason... an old family feud. As they figured out, Keigo reported his sister to the youth-welcare-office around one year before. Mizuho Asano was infamous for beeing domineering and agressive. And her ex-husband contacted Keigo one day after he figured out that she born a child after thier divorce. The youth-welcare-office didn't need long to figure out that Mizuho's son was not spared from her regular outbursts, too. They took the boy away from her. Mizuho, was never able to realize when she mad a mistake. She blamed Keigo for everything and start to pester him. She was obsessed with the mind that best way to hurt Keigo, was to hurt the Kurosaki. She was not the only one who was convinced that Keigo was 'obsessed' of Ichigo. And despite 'all the abuse and humiliation' always obeys him like a 'enslaved' lunatic. Many people thought that. Especially all of thier former classmates. And to be honest, Ichigo thought so sometimes, too.

Mizuho knew thier secret at least partly (despite memory-replacement). So she made some research and start to collect evidence. Some of them she found in Keigo's diary and his notes. There was Ichigo's first mistake: He didn't talk to his friends enough and didn't explain them enough or just partly. Most of Keigo's 'knowledge' he wrote by himself was not true and that was finally in press. Because of that there were so many fake-news and rumors. Ichigo's next mistake, was that he didn't insist that Keigo got evacuated into the Soul Society, too. So he was forced to face the press and everyone else protectless. And so they couldn't clarify some things faster. Maybe they would had figured out the true orgin faster. Keigo was locked up in prison because he tried to help Yuzu. He wasn't lock up in prison because stoped a rampage at the airport (luckily this act was honored posthumously). He wasn't lock up in prison, because Yuzu throw in an overdose of pills in his apartment to get to the Soul Society, too. No, Keigo was locked up in prison because Ichigo didn't protect his friend enough.

Thier third mistake (this time made by Kazui and Ichika) was that they disrupt and prevent Keigo's interview in prison. The whole Seireitei wanted to watch it. And everyone thought that Keigo may be delivers a hint or a trace to what happened exactly. Ichigo read the whole transcript of Keigo's conversation with the psychatrist and the doctor's notes. After that he understood Keigo better. Only after that, he understood that Keigo was more than just the guy who loves to jump on him. That was his fourth mistake: That he didn't mentioned, that Keigo was a true friend to him. A friend who helped and supported them while they only tolerated them. A friend who did not hang out with them just because they protected him from the bullys. Keigo was terribly afraid of them before he met them. Like everyone, he thought that Ichigo was not more than a dangerous criminal that had to be avoided. No this opinion changed. And the fifth mistake, that was finally responsible for Keigo's death, was that they 'invade' his apartment that evening and imposed to him. If he followed Keigo's request to be alone, back that evening instead of bringing the whole troop in his greenhouse over the roofs of Minato, he wouldn't had dropped that stupid report (Keigo was able to see because of his spirituall awareness, that was higher than Ichigo wanted to admit) that blamed him for everything. He was right to be afraid of them and to think that they tried to kill him. That was no surprise after they treated him so bad in past. And Tatsuki's slap worse up everything. That was one reason why she was a case for the psychatrist, too after they learned about Keigo's death.

After Keigo's escape, they did everything possible to find him. They weren't able to localize his soul, because his own Reiatsu radiated so strong that the seemed to be all across the city at the same time. They went to the police, searched all train-stations and airports for him. They went everywere, he could had be. The next morning, a member of the eight-division, who was responsible for a part of the Yamanashi Prefecture, told them that Keigo was death. Burned in a taxi that crashed down a slope. The driver was thrown out of the taxi and survived with severe injuries. He was able to confirm that Keigo was in the taxi and that he was afraid. They never saw his body. Everyone told them that it was burned beyond recognition. Nobody knew what happned with Keigo's soul. They hoped that he was able to 'konzo' his soul to the Soul Society by himself, just like Yuzu did. Others thought that me might had survived, because they found footprints and blood tracks. That he just hides somewhere? Others told about an extremly high activity of Hollows in that area back that evening. So most of them start to believe that Keigo's soul was catched and devoured by a Hollow long before they arrived...

Keigo's death was the end of Kurosaki-Gate... Ichigo, Orhime, Kazui, Chad, Mizuiro and Tatsuki returned back to the world of the living and needed long to order thier lives again. Yuzu was dead and now a soul in Soul Society. Isshin's special-Gigai, he once recieved to stay in the world of the living was destroyed during thier getaway and so he decided to return to the Soul Society once for all. Karin got pregnant by Toshiro Hitsugaya and stayed, too. They married several weeks later. And Keigo's photo was on every cover off all magazines in the Sereitei. His case, forced the Sereitei to revise some rules.

The rules for Shinigami in dealing with humans and especially with humans who were able to see Shinigami were revised and aggravated. It was now prohibited to Shinigami to 'force' humans to give them shelter, like Ikkaku and Yumichika did. Humans who were aware of the Shinigami and the Soul Society recieved more attention and enlightenment. To prevent that something like this ever happens again. There were riots in the Rukongai because of the 'supremacy' of the Shinigami and because many souls were able to identify themself with Keigo and felt repressed, too.

The Kurosaki's build up thier house again and thier friends left to continue thier lifes. Chad moved to Mexico to relaunch a social project he started before Kurosaki-Gate. Mizuiro, who spend several months for his company in Moldova before Kurosaki-Gate, asked his company to continue working there and moved there. Tatsuki made a 'anti-agression-therapy'. She felt even more guilty than Ichigo. It was so bad, that she had to quit her job in the Dojo.

Keigo's horror-sister never ever saw her son again. She spend several years in prision, before she was send to the closed psychatry because of her agressions. Makoto Hirabata, the news-announcer, was spared from any punishment. She was not fault for what happened. She only did her job and couldn't know that her friend Keigo would suffer. She was still a very famous television-personality, was the contrys most known news-announcer and was the host of several own reportage series about bullying- and violence-victims, that recieved many prices because she finally talked in TV about social-problems that were hushed up for too long.

But the most biggest surprise of all was Michiru Ogawa. Orihime's best friend, next to Tatsuki. Despite a certified infertility... she got pregnant! The reason was simple: Kaneda Ochi, the Shinigami who was suppossed to 'take care' of Michiru while they look after Keigo, really 'took care' of her. He didn't forced it, at least he said so. Michiru meanwhile had replaced memories and thought that she 'did it' with the paramedic who took care of her after her 'car-accident'. And she believed that he died while on duty a week later. And that he loved the name 'Mayuri'. Ichigo was so sure that a certain captain with the same name was responsible for this certain memory. Anyway, Michiru gave birth to a baby, despite the fact that the doctors always told her that she will never get pregnant. A medical sensation. But she had no clue that she born a 'substitute-shinigami'... And Ichigo and Kazui were forced to take care of him and to keep sure that mother and child are safe. Especially because this baby was a potential hollow-magnet.

Ichigo woke up from his daydreams when his plane fulfilled a slightly gruff landing during heavy rain and strong crosswinds at Haneda Airport. Ichigo was the last passenger to deboard and went to the train in trance. He even forgot to pick up his suitcase from the baggage claim... He was still brooding the whole time. So much that he almost missed Orihime who waited for him at the train-station...

“YOUHHOOU... ICHIGO!“ she jelled when he passed her silently and didn't mention her.

Slightly shocked, he turned to her and saw her waiting next to the car for him.

“Oh... Hello!“

“Great that you are back... ehm... I thought you had a suitcase with you?“ Orihime asked surprised. “Ichigo... You look like you...“

“Saw a ghost?“ Ichigo cut her off.

“Well... something like that. I know that this metaphor does not impress you but... What happened?“

“Not here...“ Ichigo said abashed and pointed on thier car. He didn't want to discuss this matter between all this people here. Right after the last door was closed, Ichigo start to freak out...

During thier ride home, Ichigo told his wife everything. Everything he saw and felt and about the boy he saw and how this child was able upset him. So upset that he even forgot his suitcase at the airport...

“I know how you feel... last night, I saw him, too.“ Orihime explained, recieving shocked glares from Ichigo. “Last night, I dreamed about what happened in the stairway back then! And Tatsuki is dreaming about him, too currently. And I know the reason... The day after tomorrow, is his anniversary of the death!“

Ichigo remembered. Indeed, Keigo's anniversary of the death was in two days. And it was already his tenth. They all arranged it. Like every year they would visit his grave. And like every year, the nightmares and the bad memories returned... Was this child... just a doppelganger? Every person has a lookalike somewhere? A coincidence, maybe? But what about this vision?

Together they reached thier home. Orihime suggest to call the airline about Ichigo's forgoten suitcase, while he calms down. She already forgive him, that he forgot the souvenirs he promised. To Orihime's surprise, thier son was at home...

“Kazui? You are here?“

“Yes! Hi Mom, hi Dad!“ Kazui said. The already 17-years old son of Ichigo and Orihime sat in the living room and was chatting over his smartphone with his friends.

“I thought you wanted to go to the cinema with Yupa and Ichika, tonight?“ Orihime asked surprised. Of course she was happy to see her son but she was still suprised.

“The movie was sold out! There were just two free seats left. I left voluntarily because Yupa urgently wanted to see the movie and Ichika urgently wanted to see the trailer of the movie about dad!“ Kazui explained smiling.

“Gosh, please don't remember me on that!“ Ichigo moaned bad tempered and settled down in the armchair.

Since the end of Kurosaki-Gate, the Shinigami and some single memories on them, were left in the subconscious of the humans. There were Mangas, comics, tv-shows and movies portraying Shinigami. This movie, that had shocking similarity to Ichigo's life, was just a little piece of everything. But by now they got along with it. He would never watch it anyway!

“You look awfully? Are you okay, Dad?“

“Hmm... Oh, sorry... I am just tired!“

“Tired? You look like you just got the shock of your life? What happened up there in Hokkaido?“

“Nothing!“ Ichigo lied. He didn't want to bother his son with this, too.

Shortly after, someone rang the doorbell...

Ichika parents, the captain of the thirteenth division Rukia Abarai (nee Kuchiki) and the lieutenant of the sixth division Renji Abarai, both entered the house in Gigai's and greeted thier human-friends. Kazui was slightly surprised about the sudden unexpected appereance of the two Shinigami and secretly send a 'Warning' to Yupa, so his friends be aware that they are here when they come...

Together the adults sat around the table. The Abarais came to pick up Ichika and wanted to use the opportunity to talk with the Kurosakis about a rumor that was wandering threw the Soul Society.

“What do you know about... the rumor that there is something going on between Ichika and Yupa?“ Rukia asked.

For the first this evening, Ichigo had to laugh. But only briefly. This child did not get out of his minds.

“That's not funny! This is a very serious matter. Our daughter and this human-boy...“ Renji moaned, but Ichigo cut him off.

“Oh, please Renji... This is ridiculous. Ichika is way not Yupa's league.“ Ichigo murmured, but he was not with them anyway. He was still to upset. “Kazui, tell them...“

“Wha...“ Kazui murmured now by himself and hid his smartphone under the table so nobody could see that he just warned Yupa.

To be honest, his friend Yupa had a crush on Ichika since he met her for the very first time. It was so obvious. Ichika's feelings were more difficult to assess. Both said, it would by completely platonic to go to the cinema together. But Kazui was pretty sure that this was a date. A real date. Why else they were so 'happy' that only two seats were left and Kazui had to let them go by themself. He would love to know what was going on in this cinema... “Well... they are just friends. Yupa is way not Ichika's leauge.“

“What do you mean with that...“ Rukia asked slightly upset. “And you Ichigo? You do not listen to us? What's up?“

“Be patient with him... He had a 'Keigo-appearance' today!“ Orihime interferen.

“Orihime, this is not the right... Awww... Anyway, that was not an appearance! It was... different!“

“Huh... what happend?“ now Rukia and Renji were curious. “Asano? You found him!“

“No!“ Ichigo became gloomy again while he told them a summary of the event in Hokkaido and about what he saw.

“Oh... and it was not...“ Rukia asked.

“NO! THAT WAS NOT A IMAGINATION!“ Ichigo screamed and slaped with his hand on the table. It was so hard that all glasses jumped. “I could feel it. This child... it... triggered something... I can't tell you what, but... it was weird...“

“Just because it looks exactly like Keigo... which is very extraordinary by itself. A relative of him maybe?“ Rukia asked.

“I don't know. But this face... how he looked on me... when... this fear... when... when... like he really felt everything, too.“ Ichigo explained.

Rukia and Renji looked on each other.

“I will ask some people in the Seireitei. This might be worth an investigation! Unfortunately, we are not allowed to interfere anymore...“ Rukia murmured.

Both stood up and prepared to go...

“When Ichika comes back, tell her to come home immediately. And the matter about Yupa we will discuss later!“

When the Abarai's were gone, Kazui start to ask countless of questions. But his father didn't want to talk about it.

“Kazui, please. I don't want to talk about it. Forget it! First I have to understand it by myself.“ Ichigo moaned and lift off his chair to go to the bathroom.

Kazui was now alone with his mother at the table. He knew that she wouldn't answer his questions. Instead she demand some answers.

“So, what's going on between Yupa and Ichika?“ she asked. Kazui answered with an shocked expression...

In Hokkaido meanwhile, Keigo and his son were already back from the cinema. Both were so deep lost in thier minds that they didn't really watch the movie. Keigo because of the Preview to the 'Ichigo-Movie' and Kenta still because of his 'nightmare'. After he brought his son to bed, Keigo wanted to check the Internet for some informations about this movie. He would never watch it. And especially not his son. But he wanted to know who was responsible for it.

His son meanwhile, laid in his bed in his room and starred on his ceiling. He didn't get it out of his head. These black monsters, the burning pain, everything of it. Who was this man? He was not able to recognize the man threw the reflecting window, but he was able to see that the man had to have orange-hair. And he was so shocked? Like he saw a ghost? Why? Does he know him from somewhere?

Tired he pushed his blanket away. It was pretty warm in his room and despite the fact that they lived in one of the coldest regions of the contry it was surprisingly hot outside. He wanted to open the window to get some fresh air inside. He felt weird, since this encounter. He felt dazed and sick. And there was this strange feeling that someone was watching him. With every step towards the window, his body felt heavier and heavier. Suddenly even breathing hurt...

Kenta opened the curtains to reach the handle... but what he saw let his blood freeze in his veins... because, there were two giant, monstrous, red shining eyes looking on him threateningly...

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	4. Chapter 4

Kenta freezed in fear when he saw that. These huge red eyes, looked on him and seemed to try to absorb him. At least it looked like that. He wanted to scream, or at least close the curtains again. But before he could do anything... something hit the 'something' in front of his window, split it in two halfs and let it vanish in a puff of smoke...

"DADDDYYYYYY..."

The boy's scream was so loud that all neigbours could hear it. Keigo was so scared that he dropped his smartphone and instinctively ran into his son's room... Kenta meanwhile, ran back to his bed and hid under his blanket...

The 'something', that just cut up the other 'something' could hear the scream, too and was surprised... because that meaned that the boy was able to see them... He knew what he had to do now... he had to report this.

In his room, Kenta still hid under the blanket and wailed in fear when his father stormed inside.

"KENTA! Kenta... my son?! What's going on? What happened?" Keigo asked hastily and scared. He was so upset that he even fogot to talk in his choosen dialect. Instead he spoke his inherit Tokyo-Dialect. "What's up? Kenta... Son... Talk to me?"

Keigo pulled the blanket away and saw that his son was as white as chalk. His face was full of sweat and he looked like he just saw something really horrific.

"Daddy..." Kenta wailed full of fear. "...out there... there is a monster!"

"What? Where?"

Kenta jumped up, pulled his father to the window and pointed down there where he expected the monster's 'corpse'. But there was nothing. Absolutely nothing. With tears in his eyes, the boy grabbled on his father.

"Kenta... there is nothing! That was just a nightmare..." Keigo said and patted his son's head. He could imagine why his son has such a nightmare. Now he had a reason to prohibit his son to watch the Ichigo-Movie: "That's just because of this stupid movie-trailer with the monster?! You never ever watch this movie! Understand?"

Kenta nooded and start to calm down slowly... it couldn't be true...

The 'something' meanwhile, looked on the apartment from safe distance. He saw the lights turning off one by one. The 'something' was indeed a Shinigami from the eleventh division and was shocked, because he knew what follows now. He was able to feel the child. And the child was just able to see him! The new rules were very strict, whicht meaned that he had to report this incident immediately...

Kenta meanwhile decided to do something he originally never ever wanted to ask again because he thought that he is too old for it: He asked his father to sleep next to him in the living-room...

The next morning was much better and unspectacular for everyone. Kenta decided to forget the incidents and left to meet his friends on the nearby soccer-field. Keigo however, had to think about his son's 'nightmare'... The Shinigami, who safed Kenta last night, went back to the Soul Society to report the incident immediately. Two other Shinigami, who heared everything and actually prepared for a meeting with the Kurosaki's, decided to hush up this informations discretly... This child was no unknown individual to them...

In Karakura, the Kurosaki's prepared for thier friends who would arrive today. Much to thier surprise, the first people who arrived were Rukia, Renji and these two Shinigami...

"Good Morning, Kurosaki-san... Miss Kurosaki, it is a pleasure to meet you!" one of the Shinigami said.

"The Abarai's told us about your 'Asano-Apparition'..." the other one said.

"Who are you two?" Ichigo asked. "Rukia?"

"I had to do it!" Rukia said. "Ichigo, they are from the department of Humans with spiritual awareness!"

"What?"

"Kurosaki, our department was formed after the Kurosaki-Gate and the Asano-Incident to register humans with spiritual abilities and to look after them if necessary."

"Yeah... I understand! You guys do what I should have done with Keigo back then... Why is this your business?" Ichigo asked.

"Well... we think you met one of our 'supects'." the Shinigami told. "Let's sit down, it will take quite some time!"

Together they sat around the table to talk about the recent events. The Shinigami put a file on the table. There was an around two years old photo of the boy.

"THAT'S HIM!" Ichigo screamed and took the photo. "THIS IS THE BOY!"

Orihime was very shocked, too. "Oh my god... He really looks exactly like Keigo. Ichigo you were right!"

"If... If he is in your records... that means..."

"That he has no spiritual awareness and that he is not related to Asano!" the other Shinigami told.

"But... but..." Ichigo was owerwhelmed with this information.

"Well..." the Shinigami began and went to a page with a big 'File closed' stamp on it. "... we searched Asano, too! This child, was even suspected to be Asano himself. A reincarnation maybe! We admit that this similarity is really shocking..."

"His name is Kenta Osaka. He was born in March 2016 in Kyoto. In April 2017, he moved with his widowed father to Hokkaido. At age five, he had a brief eye-contact with a Shinigami. Because of that, he was observed for some time. Also because his similarity to Asano... Our investigation revealed that he has no conection to Asano as well as no spiritual powers or any awareness. Keigo Asano, died September seventh 2015..."

"Tomorrow is the tenth aniversary of his death..." Ichigo cut him off.

"Oh... so that's why you come together... well..." the Shinigami murmured and continued. "...anyway, this child was born six months after Asano died. This and the fact that he is a lookalike... there was really the possibilty that he is it. Kurosaki, I am so sorry to disappoint you. But it is just a coincidence. Your vision was maybe just..."

"Safe your words! I know what you mean..." Ichigo murmured.

"Only from curiosity, did you see the boy's father, too?" the other Shinigami asked carefully.

"Hmm... Well... There was a man with him! But I couldn't see his face. Grey hairs, scars on his hands... But I would not be able to recognize him!"

The Shinigami note it...

"But... this vision! I am pretty sure that this child..."

"We already send someone to observe him... Don't worry! We are very sorry for what happened back then. But you have to agree... that this macabre incident, may only because you think too much about it?"

Ichigo lowered his head and nooded. It was true, somehow...

Just a few minutes later, the Shinigami prepared to leave. Because Rukia and Renji wanted to stay a bit longer, the Shinigami left threw a portal directly back into the Soul Society. They went back to thier office immediately...

"That was a close one! Do you think he believed it?"

"I don't know! But we have to keep an eye on this!"

"This is a really serious incident! Of course we have to keep an eye on this. What the others say about it?"

"The same! I think it is time to ask Asano a few questions!"

"You mean... with the help of our little friend..."

Both Shinigami nooded approvingly and went on to tell everyone else, who was aware of the whole situation. It was really overdue to clarify some open questions... but before...

"Thank you for waiting!" both said when they entered the room. The Shinigami who made the report was waiting for them here.

"There was one more thing..." he said.

"Yes, go on!"

"I'm not sure if it is important. But I was able to see the boy's father for a very brief moment." he explained and turned his both listeners curious. "...This man... looked familiar to me... first I didn't think about it but now I remember it. He looks like they guy who was involved in that scandal 10 years ago..."

"What? You have to wrong! That's impossible!"

"Well... Asano was never found, right..."

"We will keep an eye on it!" the Shinigami cut him off and closed his file. "That's all, you are free to go..."

It became more complicated...

Keigo Asano is dead! That's official! That's fact! But if someone figures out that he is in Hokkaido, it would be disastrous...

In Hokkaido meanwhile, everyone continued living his life. Kenta, despite the fact that he sleept more than bad, left his apartment to meet his friends on the soccer-field. It was a cloudy, windy and surprisingly chilly day. There were signs of an upcomming storm. The wind blowed unearthly over the fields and threw the trees. The ball, Kenta's friend Rin Higuchi brought with him, was blown into the bushes by a wind gust.

"Aww man... In TV they said that today will be good weather." the boy moaned while he went to the bushes to look for his ball.

"Hey, Kenta-kun... you look pretty bad!" Taro Kobayashi, another friend of him, told. He could see Kenta's pale face and his bad mood.

"Aww... I slept pretty bad last night." Kenta murmured before he had to yawn again.

"You didn't tell so far... did your father let you watch the movie, now?" Taro asked.

"Hmm... Oh, yeah. Yeah, I was in it with my father yesterday." Kenta answered with a careful smile. "It was cool!"

"Boah, the coolest szene is when he lifts up the van with just one hand and throws it against the robot. That looked so cool... I wish I could be so strong, too..." Taro gushed.

"I liked it at the beginning, when he is around our age and is so surprised when he realizes how strong he is... Hey, Kenta... are you listening?" Rin asked.

Kenta was still lost in his minds. It was too embarrasing for him to admit that he couldn't remember the most of the film. But he didn't get this black-clouthed men and the mosters out of his head.

"Hey, earth to Kenta!" Rin yelled and snaped with his fingers in front of Kenta's face to wake him up. "Are you sleeping?"

"Huh... I... Sorry guys!" Kenta murmured. "It's just that..."

Another heavy wind gust blowed over the field and almost torn thier jackets away.

"HEY KIDS!" a woman yelled from the other side of the field. "YOU BETTER GO HOME! A STORM IS COMMING!"

Together the kids ran to the small covered bike-stand on the edge of the field to be safe from the wind...

"Do you know the trailer of the movie, where the boy gets a sword into his chest and transforms into a samurai-warrior?" Kenta asked. That was his interpretation of the Shinigami-Movie-Trailer.

"Yeah! Looks interesting. But the movie is rated 16 and older! My parents already prohibited me to watch it..." Taro moaned.

"My dad looked in the Internet for the plot of the movie!" Rin added. "He said, the movie is about Shinigami!"

"Shinigami?!" Kenta asked. "What are Shinigami?"

"You don't know them?" his friends asked confused. Kenta just shaked his head.

"Everyone knows what a Shinigami is?" Taro asked.

"I do not!" Kenta explained.

Keigo never ever wanted to have to do with Shinigami, or Hollows or spirits. He wasn't able to see them anymore since his accident. His son was never able to see them. So he decided to never tell him anything about them. It was better for him to don't know anything.

"Which planet you are from?" Rin murmured. "Every kid knows what a Shinigami is?!"

"When someone dies, they come and take the death person with them!" Taro explained.

"Where?"

"To the afterlife! And there the soul stays, until it is reborn!" Rin finished.

"That means... the Shinigami, took my mother with them, too?!" Kenta asked. Of course he belived his father's story that his mother died in a fire. To know that someone 'took her with them' out of this world so that she can be reborn, sound very nice. He had no clue how the Soul Society really was.

"Yes, definetly. That's because the adults always say, that the dead person is now at a better place..."

Another strong gust blowed over the boys. Rin's ball was blown out of his hands again and rolled down a stair that led down to the shore...

"Oh no, my ball..." Rin yelled and together the boys ran after the ball to catch it before it rolls into the ocean.

While the boys hunt the ball, Kenta suddenly stopped... who was that...

There is a boy standing in the bushes...

The Shinigami, who slained the Hollow in front of Kenta's window last night, felt the presence of a strong and evil force circling above the town. He was pretty sure that it had to be a Hollow. So he jumped into the air to get to the soccer field...

"Hey you! Who are you?" Kenta asked the boy. He looked sad. His clouthes were dirty and he looked unkempt. Something that looked like a chain, was hanging down from his chest.

"Can you see me?" the boy asked.

Kenta was surprised about this question. Of course he could see him. He was standing right in front of him... "Yes! Why? Who are you?"

"It's so cold!"

While the other boy was talking, Kenta start to feel weird again. Like back with the man in the taxi, shortly before this hallucinations began. Mentaly he prayed for it to not happen again...

The Shinigami felt the Hollow better now... it was somewhere bettween the trees. And there was someone else... a soul... and it was a strong one... And around one thousand kilometres south of them in Karakura, a cold shiver ran down Ichigo's back and let him freeze so hard that Orihime and Kazui could see it. He was able to feel the child...

Kenta went a step closer to the boy. The weird feeling became stronger...

"Ichigo, what's up?" Orihime asked.

Ichigo looked on her with big eyes and with a fear, she never ever saw in his face before. "A Hollow... The child..."

In Hokkaido, Kenta went another step closer to the boy. He was surprised that the boy wore just a light t-shirt and no shoes, depite the fact that it was could and windy. He seemed to freeze and he looked like he just cried. Kenta's friends Rin and Taro meanwhile, were able to catch the ball and wanted to go back when they suddenly realized that Kenta was not with them. Latter still tried to recieve an answer from the other boy who seemed a little bit younger than him.

"What's your name?" Kenta asked. He just recieved an emotionless glare as an answer. "Are you from here, too?"... once again no answer. "Hey... why do you don't respond..."

Kenta just lift his hand, when suddenly the chain, that was hanging down from the other boys chest, lift up and wrapped around his hand...

"AGHHH... HEY! WHAT IS THAT?!" Kenta screamed in fear and tried to get rid of the chain, that wrapped around his hand so hard that it hurt... "WHAT IS THIS? HELP!"

Kenta's scream was heared by his friends, the Shinigami and several other pedestrians... While everyone went to him to help him, Kenta saw the face of the other boy starting to melt away...

The boy's face suddenly turned into mud, while it slipped down and revealed a scary white mask. Four huge, black claws shoot out of the boy's chest and turned the rest of his body into a mixture of blood and mud. During this ugly transformation, the 'something' that just blow up the boy like a cocoon, grow on the size of a minivan...

Several blocks away Keigo prepared a tea for himself in his kitchen. But suddenly he was so scared that he dropped the cup, which shatterd with a loud bang on the ground. He felt something... Kenta! He was in danger... Immediately Keigo stormed out on the balcony... From there he could see the soccer-field, Kenta and his friends went to... He felt something over there... something he hoped to never ever feel again... a Hollow!

Kenta meanwhile screamed more and more, while the chain that was wrapped around his hand, slowly turned into a slimy tongue, that tried to pull him into his mouth...

"NO!" Kenta screamed, lift his free left hand and punched as hard as possible on the head (the mask) of the monster...

The Shinigami landed on the monster's back and rammed his Zanpakutou into it. The Hollow screamed in pain and shaked around so hard that Kenta, who was still trapped by it's tongue, was thrown into the bushes. A tree was hit, tilt to the side and almost hit a woman who heared Kenta's screams and came to help him. Latter one was thrown into the mud, slipped away several metres and finally end on the concrete ground between the soccer-field and the parking-lot before he became unconscious...

The fight between the weakened Hollow and the Shinigami was short but violently... Another tree was knocked down and hit the power-lines. Kenta's friends, who just reached the scene were almost hit by the falling cables and were forced to flee. The Shinigami was thrown away from the Hollow's back and hit a billboard, that was knocked down, too. The falling billboard hit a driving car, whose driver lost control and drove into the wall of a house. The 'storm' (as it was seen by everyone), damaged roofs and windows, when it rushed back to the injured Hollow. The Hollow was crawling towards the unconscious Kenta, who was still laying on the ground next to the soccer-field helplessly and unprotected. But what he saw... was a big surprise...

The Hollow's mask, Kenta hit before, was already damaged. Did this boy hurt the Hollow? And if yes, how he was able to do that? He didn't think about it. He had no time for. He just took his Zanpakutou again, to end this! Kenta just opened his eyes again when the Hollow was right over him... suddenly it happened again...

Keigo felt that something terrible was going on and stormed out of his apartment to run to the soccer-field. When he opened the door, a flower-pot crushed on the ground right in front of it. The wind blowed it from the neigbour's balcony. All lights turned off while a loud thunder echoed over the town... But it was not a thunderstorm-thunder... this 'thunder' was not from this world...

It felt like someone was throwing him around violently. He was burning. He was on fire. He saw people beeing pressed into thier seats, while the plane they were sitting in explode in a paddy-field. He saw people on fire, jumping of from a burning trawler into the sea. And he saw a person in this black Kimono again, approaching him with a sword... And it really happend... And so Kenta, was able to see the Shinigami splitting up the Hollow from behind... The monster, which was a small boy just a minute ago, was cut the same way like the monster in front of his window last night...

The two 'Hollow-Halves', crashed down left and right next to Kenta on the ground and vanished while they turned into grey-black smoke. And the little boy suddenly saw the 'samurai-warrior' from the movie-trailer again, putting his Zanpakutou back into it's holster.

Kenta lift up to get a closer look on the man. The cinema! That's this guy from the movie-trailer? A Shinigami?

"Boah, that was so close!" the Shinigami murmured before he saw that the boy stared on him with big eyes. He had to follow the rules now. Especially the new ones, established after the Kurosaki-Gate. He was forced to clarify the situation immediately. "Hey, stripling... can you see me?"

Last time, someone asked him this question, the questioner turned into a monster. So Kenta, didn't waste any time and ran away... screaming so loud that it hurt in the Shinigami's ears... For him that was a clear 'yes'...

"Oh shit! I have to report that!"

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	5. Chapter 5

Ichigo became as white-as-chalk and had to sit down. Something really weird just happened. For a brief moment, it felt like he was able to feel this child again. Despite the fact that it was more than a thousand kilometres away. And this feeling that something really really terrible just happened.

“Ichigo, what's going on?“ Orihime asked while she brought her husband a glass of water.

“I... I don't know! That... was weird. Almost... like yesterday when I met that child? I... aww... I don't know how to explain!“ Ichigo murmured. He had no answer for it, as he never felt or experienced something like this ever before. His wife, thier son and the also present Abarais looked on him worried...

In Hokkaido meanwhile, the sirens of fire-trucks, ambulances and police-cars howled all over across the small-town. The 'tornado' that hit the town just a few minutes ago, damaged several houses and injured some people. Kenta Osaka, who was covered with bruises, grazes and scratches and a big bulge on his forehead, was just one of them. In all the chaos, his father Keigo (in this town known as Masaru Osaka) desperately looked for his son.

“Have you seen my son?“ Keigo asked desperately everyone he met. He was so upset that he even talked in his native dialect.

Finally Keigo found the boy, sitting in the open hatchback of an ambulance. The boy was waving with his arms wildly, had tears in eyes and a face full of fear and despair, while he told the policeman in front of him everything he saw and who this 'tornado' really was.

The confused policeman was so surprised about the boys story, that he even didn't made notes. It was just to unbelivable to be true. He and the both paramedics who took care of the boy were sure that he must have a concussion. But before they could tell him, the boy jumped off to run into his fathers arms.

“DADDY!“

“KENTA... OH THANKS GOD!“ Keigo screamed loudly and was relieved. But he was also shocked about his son's condition. His eyes filled with tears. “Oh boy... My boy... Are you okay?“

“Daddy, the monster came back and than the Samurai cut threw it and than and than...“ Kenta screamed and shocked his father.

“NO! No, there are no Monsters... don't be afraid...“ his father said paniced and hugged the boy to calm him down. “Calm down... everything is fine...“

“You are the father of this boy?“ the policeman asked when he and the paramedics approached them.

“Yes! Yes I am!“ Keigo said.

“We would like to take your son to the hospital in Shari!“ one of the paramedics said. “Looks like he got a pretty hard punsh on his head. That needs to be treated. You can come with us!“

“NO... I am not crazy! NO HOSPITAL! PLEASE!“ Kenra screamed and hid behind his father.

“Kenta, don't worry! They only want to make a check-up... and...“ Keigo almost said something about the Shinigami, his son propably saw... but he swore to never ever bother his son with thier excistance...

“He... had a sword... a sword...“ the boy cried dazed while he was escorted into the ambulance by the paramedics.

In his minds, Keigo start to pray that this was a unique incident. A clanger! Meanwhile, the Shinigami who was responsible for all the storm-damages went back to the Soul Society to report everything... his suspicion grew after that...

While Keigo spend the next few hours with his son in the hospital of Shari, Ichigo tried to calm down in Karakura. Thier friends would arrive today. Keigo's tenth death-aniversary is tomorrow and they already meet today evening for diner to go to the cemetary as early as possible tomorrow. One by one first Chad, who came from Mexico, Mizuiro, who came from Europe and Tatsuki, who came from Yokohama arrived at the Kurosaki-clinic.

It was a calm and sterling evening. Everyone brought souvenirs and presents with him. They talked a lot about the last years and about what they did and expierenced. Mizurio, who brought some bottles of Moldavian-Wine, waited for everyone to be in a good mood before he took an envelope out of his jacket. They finished eating and were drinking the wine now.

“What is that?“ Orihime asked her friend.

“Several months ago, my father found some old photos and send them to me...“ Mizuiro explained and took the photos out of the envelope to show them to his friends. “I thouhgt, you may want to see them, too?!“

Curiously, the others looked on the photos. Older photos from the time Mizuiro and Keigo went to elementary- and middle-school. Seeing the happily smiling 8-years old Keigo, Ichigo immediately remembered the boy he saw yesterday in Hokkaido...

Mentioned child could feel that someone was thinking about him. Because a cold shiver ran down his back. After a 15-minutre ride in the ambulance they reached the hospital of Shari. Totally scared and upset, the boy cried while his father hold his hand for the whole time. Keigo wanted to cry in fear, too. But he couldn't. He couldn't scare the boy more than he was already. Maybe there was a simple explanation for it? Maybe it was really just a storm? And if it was really a Shinigami... Russia was just a few hours away by boat!

In Karakura, Ichigo watched the old photo of Keigo silently for a long time. Back then, everything was fine. At least for Keigo! Back then, his parents still cared for him and his sister. Back then, this lunatic didn't freaked out and lash around for every little trifle! Keigo wanted attention. They let him feel protected and cared. Ichigo read it in the psychatrists notes. He would had done everything for them... And they would had beat him up to thank him...

“Ichigo, are you okay?“ Mizurio asked.

“Huh... I am... ehm... How old is this photo?“ Ichigo asked and turned it around so that everyone could see it.

Mizurio took a closer look on it and tried to remember: “I think... that was during the Tanabata 1994? Or 1995, maybe? Why... you make a face like you...“

Ichigo just moaned loudly. It would be the best to tell them everything he experienced in Hokkaido. And so he start to tell his friends everything about the boy...

Latter was still totally afraid, while he was laying on a stretcher and was send into a dark massive tube. They told him that they wanted to look inside his head! His father said that he don't have to be afraid. It would be just very loud! The loud rumbling and rattling noise of the MRI was not so bad. He was more worried about this man with the superpowers. Is he a superhero? Or is he a super-villian, he has to be afraid of?“

Kenta spend hours in the hospital. Despite the hard punsh on his head, he seemed to have no concussion. Just several bruises that would heal without aftereffects. The next week he would only need a lot of rest and for two weeks no sport. That at least was what the doctor told to Keigo. The 'manifestation' of the man with the sword, only seemed to be a side-effect of the shock. Like the child that 'poped open'. After these words, a tetanus vaccination, some pills and a notification for the school, Kenta was send home and took with his father a taxi back home... No one of them said a word. But Keigo hold his son the whole time. Still praying that it was just a tornado and not a Shinigami...

Mentioned Shinigami stormed into the office of the department of humans with spirituall awareness in the Seireitei to report the incident as detailed as possible. About the Hollow, the child and that the child was able to see him. The both Shinigami noted everything... not knowing about the disaster that will follow...

In Karakura, Ichigo meanwhile told everything to his friends and that he didn't got that child out of his minds since them. His friends felt so sorry for him. They knew that it was impossible. But now they were very curious about the boy, too.

“And he... really looks like Keigo?“ Tatsuki asked nervously.

“A perfect doppelganger? If... If they ever make a movie about Keigo... this boy would be casted instantly!“ Ichigo murmured and took another sip of wine. “And the way... he... looked on me... Exaclty the same expression... like back then in Keigo's penthouse...“

“A relative of Keigo, maybe?“ Chad asked. He was as silent as always for the whole evening but now they could see that he was upset, too.

“The Soul Society says no! The child was investigated by them already... But... there is still something not okay with this matter...“ Ichigo continued murmuring. “Chad... you look so pensive?“

Chad remembered some things, too...

“Well... Keigo... had a girlfriend?“

“Yeah, exactly!“ Mizuiro remembered. “Akira Fukuota! She is starring in this sitcom...“

They all knew that Keigo was in a relationship. And they all knew that this relationship was guaranted to fail from the beginning. Akira was far not in Keigo's leauge. Kurosaki-Gate and Keigo's following fall gave it the rest. But if she really gave birth to a child, the whole world would had figured out. Despite the fact that she vanished from the public for months after Keigo's death...

“What about her?“ Orihime asked.

Chad's eyes became bigger. That was a an indication for worry. “Around... 6 or 7 weeks after Keigo's death... she suddenly appaered in my boxing-school. She wanted to talk about Keigo!“

“Yes, you alrady told us about!“ Ichigo explained and remembered. He wanted to talk to her back then, too. But he missed her and was never able to contact her. He gave up later because he thought that it wouldn't make a difference. The Soul Society interfered, too. Telling them to better not get in touch with her because Kurosaki-Gate impaired her life, too.

“She seemed to be... upset! And... no... no... that's impossible...“ Chad murmured and digressed.

“What? What is impossible?“ now Ichigo became upset.

“I don't know, she looked like she... gained some weight?!“ Chad said and shocked everyone. “She rubbed her stomach when she aproached me... I didn't think a lot about it...“

“What do you mean with that...“

“HOLD ON!“ Rukia jelled and slapped on the table. “We don't start to imagine weird things here. If this woman really gave birth to a child from Keigo, the comission of inquiry would had told us everything, or not?“

“Rukia... you didn't ask that question really?“ Ichigo asked schocked. “Officially... we are partly responsible for Keigo's death! Do you really think, that the comission would tell us about his child?“

“Oh my god, do you mean that Keigo and this Akira did it together?“ Tatuski asked slightly disgusted.

“Tatsuki, were are not talking about Keigo's sexual-life here... Gosh, I can't believe that I just said this word loudly!“ Ichigo murmured and took another sip of wine.

“Especially because you are the prudest among us!“ Orihime smired. She was already slightly tipsy by the wine.

“Orihime, please!“ her husband cut her off.

“Why we don't just ask this Akira?“ Mizuiro suggested.

There was nothing bad about this suggestion. But noone wanted to admit that he was afraid of the truth. There were three possible options: First one... Akira was never pregnant and this child is really just a coincidence. Second one... Akira was pregnant, but from another man. Keigo mentioned that she already had a new one. Third one... Akira was really pregnant with Keigo's child and maybe set him free for adoption? Everyone knew that Akira had relationsships with five different men over the last 10 years after Keigo's death and even three times divorced. She had a five years old son... but her second ex-husband was the father...

“Okay, lets assume that this boy is really Keigo's son, what would you do?“ now Kazui interfered in thier conversation. He and Ichika sat with thier parents on the table but both of them just listened the whole time. “Do you want to go to the boy and tell him that his father is dead?“

“Gosh, Kazui is right! We wouldn't be allowed to get close to him anyway!“ Ichigo continued murmuring.

“Keigo was attacked by Hollows so many times, that it wouldn't be a surprise if his child has a Fullbring.“ Ichika explained. “Mom, Dad... Fullbrings are...“

“Yeah, yeah...“ Renji moaned. “But who says that it is really Keigo's child?“

“I think we are all just upset because tommorrow is already the tenth aniversary of his death.“ Orihime suggested. “Keigo wouldn't want us to think so much about it.“

Everyone agreed...

Indeed Keigo wanted that they never ever think about him. Of course he sometimes asked himself how they felt after his 'death' and if they may feel sorry for it. But his so called friends were dead for him. They didn't exisist anymore...

While Keigo stood in the kitchen to prepare his son's favourite dish, he listened his son zapping threw the channels. The boy was so quiet since the incident. He had to figure out what happned at any cost. Everyone believed in a tornado and all across the town the people were tyding up and repairing thier homes. Even the national-wide news reported about it. Kenta wasn't even happy that he hadn't go to school for the next three days. He had to ask him very carefully. He never ever dared to think about how to ask his son this question. Because he was convinced that he would never have to... but now it was time...

With a wide smile and a bowl of curry, Keigo entered the room to see his son, wrapped in a blanket, sitting on the sofa and watching a colombian childrens-telenovela. Keigo could hear with his experienced 'voice-actor-ears', that the dub was made pretty bad and not really meticulously...

“I made your favorite curry. Eat it! You will feel better after!“

“Thanks!“ the boy said carefully and took the bowl with trembling hands. Keigo realized that they had to talk about it urgently.

“Do you feel better?“

“I think so!“

“Do you want to talk about what happened?“

“It's okay!“

“Kenta-chan... you know that you can tell me anything. No matter what. I won't blame you for anything and won't get angry or else. So... tell me what happned today on the soccer-field!“

Kenta became pale again... after he ate a little bit he took a deep breath before he start to tell everything from his point of view...

“When we... went to the cinema, yesterday... there... was this man...“

“Who?“

“I don't know... I couldn't see his face. He was sitting in that taxi! And when he looked on me, then...“

Right in this moment someone rang the doorbell. Hana Kumuyoshi, the old lady from the apartment below, heared about Kenta's 'accident' and brought a little bag of self-made Mochi to cheer him up. Keigo thanked her when he took the bag and went back to his son to show him the sweets. Kenta meanwhile forgot where he stopped.

“Okay... so you say there was a man in a taxi?!“

“Oh yeah... so... yes... this man... you know... I think... he was... not a human...“

“Not a human?!“ now Keigo was much more worried. “Kenta, what are you talking about?“

“So... I... don't know, too... I think... he was... Daddy, do you believe in ghosts?“

For this question 'Keigo' had a clear answer. But 'Masaru' hadn't! He always hoped that his son never ever even mentioned this. Oh how much he hated Ichigo now... and the man in the taxi, whoever this man was.

“You know... ghosts... there are people who... believe in them! There are even people who claim that they can see them! But... I don't think that they excist... you don't have to be afraid!“

„Am I... just imagine everything?“

“Kenta, my son... please be honest. Do you want to tell me that you can see ghosts?“

Kenta could hear that his father's voice became more worried. And he became worried, too.

“I don't know! Do ghosts look like normal people?“

“What do you mean with that?“

“Well... on the soccer-field... there was this boy...“

Once again, someone rang the doorbell. Keigo really prefered to listen to his son and stood up reluctantly to get rid of the visitor as fast as possible. His son was more important now...

“Hello!“ Keigo said, when he opened the door and looked outside. He didn't see, that a Shinigami was standing right in front of him.

The office for Humans with spirituall awareness send the Shinigami to look after the 'suspect'. But when Masaru (Keigo with scars) opened the door, the normally though and self-confident Shinigami got the shock of his life...

Keigo (Masaru) thought that it was just a prank and closed the door again to talk to his son again. The boy, as well as the Shinigami were able to feel each other, but neighter the boy, nor the Shinigami could see each other because there was a wall between them.

“Nobody! Just a prank!“ Keigo moaned while he went back and saw that his son hid under the blanket. “Kenta, what's up?“

Once again the boy was falling, but this time he had no visions. But the pictures of the exploding plane and the exploding trawler shot back into his minds. The giddiness became so strong, that the boy had to puke...

Outside, in front of the door, the Shinigami was able to feel that the boy was able to feel him. He instantly jumped away to get away from that child. It was obvious that this child was not a ordinary fullbring... just like his father...

In her apartment, below the one of Kenta and 'Masaru', Kumuyoshi realized that there was a weird tickling in the air. A cold shiver, she never experienced before, ran down her back, while the air around her seemed to become hotter and and hotter every second. It felt, like something in the apartment over her, seemed to suck out the air in here. Tired and dazed, she went into the bathroom to let some water flow over her arms... but when she looked into the mirror, she realized something was wrong... because she had no mirror image anymore...

A loud scream... Kenta, who was puking into the toilet in thier own bathroom start to scream, too when he heared the old lady screaming... Something horrible was going on here in thier house...

“DADDY... KUMUYOSHI-SAN...“

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	6. Chapter 6

He said, that something was wrong with Kumuyoshi-san. He said, that he heard a scream from downstairs. Keigo believed his son and went downstairs to look after the old lady in her apartment. That at least he told to the neigbour he met and to the police. They called them after they realized that something was wrong. They could hear that the radio was playing music and that a water tap was open. But there was no respond from the old lady. At least there was no respond they could see or hear... because her spirit was invisible for them. And so all neigbours watched in shock and sorrow, the body of the popular and valued old woman was brought away...

She was found in her bathroom. She just opened the water tap and suddenly fell down death. Right on the spot. An autopsy would clarify the real cause of death. But anyway, it was a huge shock for everyone in the neigbourhood. And especially for Keigo, who felt very very bad now. He talked to her maybe around 5 minutes before her death. And his son is presumably the last person who heared her... What is going on here? And was this related to the Shinigami-incident earlier this day? Keigo didn't want to think about it, while he and all other neighbours looked after hearse, that carried the dead woman away...

Over a thousand kilometres to the south, down in Karakura, Keigo's former friends spend hours and hours with talking about the good old (in their eyes) better times, before they went to bed to go to the cemetary in time tomorrow. Over the years, they knew at which time first Makoto and than Keigo's parents would arrive. Noone of them wanted to meet any of them.

Kazui and Ichika went to Kazui's room to give the adults 'some space' and to talk about the recent events, too. As well as Keigo's 'supposed' child...

"What do you think?" Ichika asked directly. "You think it's his?"

"Without seeing it before?" Kazui asked back. "No, I don't know what I should believe? I would have to see it with my own eyes before. But down there they would never agree to that!"

Kazui's Smartphone beeped briefly. Yupa send him a photo. Kazui's best friend Yupa Taramasaki was aware of his 'Shinigami-secret'. Kazui told him several days before the begin of the 'Kurosaki-Gate'. That was the reason why Kazui blamed himself for a long time and thought that they were responsible for the incident. Yupa, who obviously had a crush on Ichika since he first met her, was part of Kazui's own 'supernatural-troop' as Keigo called it back with Ichigo and his friends. They could talk to him about Shinigami-matters without having to explaining it to deep. This week, Yupa was on a trip with the school's soccer-team. Kazui thought about telling him about the 'child'...

"Maybe!" was Yupa's surprisive answer, after Kazui told him via Skype the whole story. Kazui and Ichika were both very shocked about that.

"Why do you think so?" Kazui asked shocked while he watched his friend on the display with wide eyes.

"Well... I didn't want to tell any rumors or lies to your parents or anything else... but..." Yupa remembered back something that happend around 10 years ago. "Several months, after you and your parents returned from Soul Society, I... wanted to show up but you weren't at home. And when I prepared to leave... I met... a pregnant woman in front of the clinic..."

"Who?" Kazui asked now pretty upset.

"I didn't ask her for her name! She saw me and asked for your father. I told her that I don't know and than she left. She murmured that she will come back later and left..."

"And you remember that so good?" Ichika asked.

„Well... because... the voice of that woman... it was so familiar to me. I didn't know why. But it didn't get out of my head. Until I was sitting in front of the TV one evening and... and recognized the voice of the woman again. So I think, she might have been a voice-actor..."

"What?" Kazui became more and more curious. He really wanted to pull this friend threw the Smartphone.

"Wait a moment..." Yupa murmured and Yupa start to google some names with his own Smartphone. "Hmm... Tell me... do you know Akira Fukuota?"

"Sounds familiar!" Kazui respond.

"Well... the woman weared sunglasses and a headscarf... but maybe..."

This discovery was a big shock for the Substitute-Shinigami and his Shinigami friend...

"Why you didn't tell us?" Kazui asked mad.

"I... I didn't think that it was important. Several days later I saw her again. She just walked away from your house again. You and your parents were at home so I thought that your father talked to her and I decided to forget it. Back then, I didn't know who she was or what she wanted..."

The exitement was great...

In the Soul Society, the exitement was very great, too. The Shinigami from the eleventh division, who was the first to be in touch with Kenta, was still in the office for spiritually aware humans. The Shinigami who was send to the apartment, by the office, was back as well to tell them about his 'meeting' with the dead Asano, he believed he saw...

Both statements were noted, the man from the eleventh was send home, the matter was sweept under the table and everyone hoped that everyone was trustful enough to not to tell anyone. The 'Asano-incident' was a huge scandal. Noone needed another one...

"This boy is really strong! Just like the father!" the Shinigami murmured.

"It's becoming more and more complicated! I don't know how long we will be able to hush it up?" the boss murmured.

"And what we do now?"

"For now... we have to keep sure that nobody gets close to this boy or his father! The 'No-Entry-Zone' will be extend. Discretly, of course! Another close encounter with a Shinigami may end in a disaster..."

Noone knew that it was already out of control. Because the Shinigami of the eleventh division told everything to his captain. And he told to his lieutenant. And latter was an old 'roommate' of Keigo... so he decided to investigate it a little bit by himself...

The matter was dicussed in Karakura, too...

"I wish that I could help my parents. But I don't know how?" Kazui murmured.

"Maybe you could contact that boy and try to clarify some things?" Yupa adviced via Skype.

"Oh, but neighter his nor my parents will agree to that!" Ichika respond. "They would explode."

"You have a better idea?" Kazui asked mad.

"No! But you need to come up with a pretty good lie. Or how do you think your parents will allow you to travel to Hokkaido."

"Ichika is right... And it needs to be something really plausible. Something that, answers all thier questions and don't turn them suspicious." Yupa added.

"Yeah, that's right... hmm... What would be a plausible resason for a trip up there..."

"I don't know... maybe... Hang on!" Yupa thought about something before he found something in the room he currently was. He stood up, picked something up and than took his smartphone again to talk to his friends again. "I might have an idea..."

Together they talked about his idea. It meaned that they would have to wait for a few weeks. But it was a great idea. Thier parents wouldn't ask too many questions. It was a plausible reason and relatively easy to implement. Now they only had to rake up enough money for the plane- or train-tickets and they would be able to check up it by themself...

They discussed thier plan for hours, before going to bed, too. The next day they wanted to be on the cemetary on time. But Ichigo knew that he had to experience something before... The same dream, he dreamed year for year in this night. He already knew what would happen, how it ends and how he will wake up. He already knew what he would experience in this night... and so Ichigo fell asleep, and dreamed of the evening of thier visit in Keigo's apartment...

Keigo... his emaciated, drug-damaged body was shivering in the incomming light that came in threw the broken windows behind him. And they in front of him. He sitting on his armchair. They sitting around him. He is talking... but they can only hear incomprehensible mumble. Than he get's upset because nobody listens to him. Tatsuki slaps him. He slaps her back with the fire-extinguisher, which turns her much more mad. Orihime is just smiling everything away. Chad is as silent as always. Mizuiro is just looking on his mobile phone. It's like back in high-school. When they sat together on the roof of thier school for lunch. And not in Keigo's apartment...

It was always the same dialogue... word by word... A succession of Keigo's 'seemingly' senseless babbling, which sound more like a desperate cry for help, if you listen closer. On one side, Keigo wanted to be with them. He wanted to be as cool as them. As strong, as brave and as heroic as them. But on the other side, he wished a normal life. And normal friends who accepted him just like he is and not only tolerated him. He always wanted to be part of a group and they just let him partly feel that he is one of them... Than he told how Ikkaku and Yumichika settled in in thier apartment and how bad they treated him. Tatsuki yelled after every sentence that he should wail. And everything Ichigo was able to do was listening. He was not able to answer. For ten years, every time he had this dream, he was never able to respond to Keigo. During Keigo's story, they went from his apartment, to the backseat of the taxi, that stood on a foggy road in the middle of nowhere. Till he said following sentence...

"I wanted to be your friend!"

"Well, it's good that I safed your ass back then, now we have to endure you and your annoying behaviour!" Ichigo said. He never said this by himself. It was like someone played it from a tape.

"Before I met you I didn't want to be on your radar, Ichigo!" Keigo said with a reproachful voice and shaked his head. "I was terrified of you! I was like all the other people. All those people who avoid and hated you because they thought that you are not more than a troublemaking, violent bully with colorized hairs."

"Go ahead and cry!" Ichigo's voice sound up again from somewhere. Ichigo shaked his head and said something that was so quietly that noone could understand it.

"I remember the day we first met..." Keigo murmured and leaned back to relax. "You remember, too..."

"I saved your covardly ass from Oshima and his gang." Ichigo's voice said very reproachful. So reproachful that it hurt.

"Oh yeah... That was when I realized that you were more. That you have a character! A good side. An almost ugly hero complex!" Keigo said with waving arms while the taxi left the fog bank and stood now on the mountain-pass. At exactly the same place, where the crash happened... "I endured every kick, hit and attack of you and the others. I always saw us as friends. That you lied to us... I know you only wanted to protect us. You didn't want to bother us with it..."

"I didn't want this!" now Ichigo was able to talk by himself. "I can't tell it enough but but I am..."

"Ichigo, I am dead! It's too late! I am past! You can't apologize to me anymore!" Keigo said while he slowly drove with the taxi away. He headed directly towards the slope. "You were the friend that I needed but not always. And now stop wailing! You would tell me the same if you would be on my place..."

"Keigo please..." Ichigo begged while he tried to open the door of the taxi to get Keigo out of it before he crashes down the slope. "Please... I'll tell you everything! I train you. I teach you how to be like me... I dedicate my new inoffical and not authorized autobiography to you..."

"I was so humiliated and placed so ridiciulous in your stupid book! Anyway I am mentioned in just one sentence." Keigo complained and lift up the mentioned book, the Soul Society start to write long before Kurosaki-Gate even began.

"But just in the first version! I forced them to write you better! Keigo please! Open the door..."

"What for? The fall will not kill me!" Keigo said and turned to Ichigo.

Suddenly Keigo's face was horribly distorted. Blood ran down his whole body while his legs and arms were broken so hard that even the bones jut out. This view was hideous...

"I survived the fall... I will burn. I will burn alive and with full consciouness. I will burn beyond recognition..."

"NO!" Ichigo screamed while he saw that his hands were suddenly full of blood. "We are friends! I was not always a good friend and treated you bad. But you are my friend, Keigo!"

Keigo opened the window to give Ichigo a punch into his face, like he had done with Keigo always when he start to get upset. Than for a brief moment it became very loud, while the taxi crashed down the slope and stoped on a protuberant rock below. Carefully Ichigo looked down to see Keigo looking up to him with his distort face. His upper body was hanging out of the burning taxi, while the flames slowly devoured him.

Accept it!" Keigo moaned while he was surrounded by flames. "You never know how I feel until you read that stupid report of that psychatrist. At least he visited me in prison."

"No, Keigo..." Ichigo screamed.

That was it. Year for year... the same nightmare... the same ending... soon, after seeing Keigo burning to death, he will wake up. But he didn't wake up... a strong wind gust blowed Keigo's ash and the ash of the taxi away. Totally darkness surrounded him. It suddenly became so awfully cold. Than everything became brighter again and he could see a person approaching him threw the fog.

"Who is there?" Ichigo asked. "Keigo? Are you there?"

"I told you to leave us alone! The future!" Keigo's voice said from somewhere far away. "Remember..."

The person from the fog was now standing right in front of him. It was the boy from Hokkaido. And he talked with Keigo's voice: "...it is what you took from me!"

Ichigo woke up with a loud scream... because that was new...

The day on the cemetary was uneventful. Everyone said some friendly words and hoped that Keigo will be found soon in the Soul Society. Whether he remembers them, or not. They left when they could feel Keigo's parents aproaching from far away. Last time they met each other, they reproached each other and even start to fight so loud, that someone called the police. They were not in mood for another fight with Keigo's parents. They would go for a nice little walk in the parks and than go home to eat...

The following days proceed normally. Thier friends left to travel back home. In Hokkaido, Keigo had the difficult task to tell his son about the death of the old neigbour. At the same time, he prayed that her soul already went to Soul Society and that no Shinigami shows up and possibly busts him.

Several days after the incident, live went back to normal. Kenta was going to go to school again tomorrow and his supposed 'ghost visions' seemed to be only a side effect of the punch he got on his head. And Kenta was as happy as before, although the horrible things he saw. The boy realized that he feels better, when he doesn't thinks about it...

They skiped Keigo's (Masaru's) birthday. Keigo's was not in mood to celebrate after his neigbour's death. He prefered to spend his time with work. And so came the day he had to go to this company by himself to handle some things... although he prefered to work alone in his homeoffice... bus his boss called him and requested him to come to the office today. There was a visitor comming today. A very important visitor... and he didn't want to tell him on the phone who...

"I'll be back in a few hours!" Keigo said while he prepared to go. Kenta was still at home today but the boy was too reasonable to make something stupid. "You have my number if something happens. And if you need something, you go to the restaurant and asks Otami-san if you can wait there! Okay?"

"Okay!" the boy respond.

"Behave well, yeah! Bye bye!" Keigo said and left the apartment.

The wind outside was cold and gusty. The trees rustled so loud that even the passing cars were quieter. Keigo walked to the bus-stop near his house, to take the next bus to his company, which had his offices in a industrial estate between Shari and Koshimizu. On his way to the bus-stop, he met his landlord. The man prepared the apartment of the old lady for a viewving to re-rent it as soon as possible. Both man greeted each other briefly and Keigo continued on his way. He didn't mentioned a man approaching his house... a man with a shimmering bald head...

"Hello! Are you interested in the apartment?"

"Huh? What?" Ikkaku Madarame was surprised about Keigo's landlord offering him to rent a apartment. He was not here to rent an apartment. "No. I am not here for apartment-viewving! I am here to... visit someone!"

"Oh, I understand!" the man said and Ikkaku went upstairs to the apartment he actually wanted to see.

Ikkaku breaked a rule. Actually, no Shinigami was allowed to get close to that child until 'a few things were checked'. But after he heared the story of his comrade and about the rumors that circled around for a while now, he wanted to see it with his own eyes. Maybe it was really just a stupid coincidence... Or is the rumor maybe nor only a rumor...

Ikkaku reached the door to the 'Osaka's' apartment and knocked... Kenta immediately felt that something was wrong...

Keigo meanwhile left the bus and walked to his company. He hoped that they won't need long time because he wanted to look after Kenta. As soon as he entered the building, he realized that everyone was gazing on him... a terrible feeling...

"What... What's going on here?"

"Hey, Osaka... respect!" one of his colleagues said. "I wish I would have a visitor like her!"

"Wha... Which visitor?" Keigo asked.

"Osaka-san, good that you are here!" Keigo's boss said when he approached him. "I heared about your son and that he was injured in that tornado. I hope he is fine!"

"Oh, yeah. He is fine! He just had to spend the whole week at home!"

"You have a visitor! She want's to see you urgently!"

"What? Me?" Keigo was more than surprised. He lived undercover and could not imagine that someone 'urgently' wanted to see him. Him? "Who?"

"Yuhu, Masaru-kun..."

After this call of his name, Keigo froze. This voice... this soft, petite but also self-confident female voice... this voice he heared almost every day back then... This voice, that was always so friendly to him back then... back then, his name was Keigo... and she was here... The woman, that turned the whole world upside down... The woman, that released the Kurosaki-Gate on this unprepared world... Makoto Hirabata! The nationwide famous newscaster!

"Oh, it is so nice to see you again Osaka-kun." Makoto said with a nonchalance and like she never knew him under a different name. It was obvious that she did it on purpose to not to bust him in front of his colleagues.

Keigo wanted to run away. But he would never be able to explain it. What the hell she is doing here? How in the world she was able to find him. It was a stupid question, after all she is a god dammed investigative journalist. Not only an investigative journalist, she was one of the best in this country. If not even in the whole world! Like back then when she exposed the Kurosaki's, he would have liked to pull her into the next boxroom and make a scene. But he was not allowed to freak out here and now. His life and the lie of his life, depend on it...

Please review.


	7. Chapter 7

"Makoto-chan how..." Keigo coughed and had to remember that he has to talk with dialect. "...how long... has it been... since...?"

"Since that class-reunion back then! So many years have passed! I heared about what happened to Michiku, I am so sorry for you!" she said in perfect Kyoto-Dialect. She was very good! It sound so perfect and clear.

"Class-reunion..." Keigo murmured and bit on his tounge, because it was Tokyo-Dialect again. Dialect! He had to keep talking in this dialect, when even she is talking in it. He knew that she was originally from Kyoto and trained hard to get rid of it to start broadcasting to the whole country: "Yeah... I remember. You just moved to Tokyo to start this internship. It was at TV JPN, right. I remember that you were not very happy..."

"Oh, god... don't remember me on TV JPN!" that channel was Makoto's sore point. Keigo busted himself with it but he also had her attention. "Masaru-kun, may we talk somewhere undisturbed? There is something really important I need to discuss with you!"

Keigo didn't want to talk with her. Keigo wasn't excisting anymore. Although Makoto was a friend and that he never blamed her for what happened (she only did what every reporter in her situation would had done). But the fact that she was here in the North, at his workplace, was pretty dangerous. For both of them. All of his colleagues knew Makoto from TV and some of them tried to make Selfies. They glared on them like sights. He went to his company just once per week. Once per week he comes to deliver some documents, to get some documents and to get new office supplies. His colleagues and his superiors accepted that he was working alone at home, because he was a single-father who had to take care of his child. And today, Makoto had to show up, catching everones attention...

"What are you... doing up here? Here... on Hokkaido?" Keigo asked. His voice became slightly nervous.

"Oh, I am working on a story in Shari and I thought that it would be a great chance to say Hello to an old friend." she said and went closer to whisper something to him: "May we talk somewhere alone, I don't want to bust you?"

"Really?" Keigo asked in unbelief. Makoto lift an eyebrow and looked on him in this self-confident glare again. He understood that it was true. Instantly he turned to his boss. "Ehm... Boss, may I and Ma... ehm... Hirabata-san use the meeting-room for a a couple of minutes."

Keigo's boss seemed to be a huge fan of Makoto. He opened the door to the meeting-room and even offered coffee. Makoto agreed thankfully and went inside... Keigo followed her silently and closed the door.

To his surprise, Makoto closed all windows and blinds, so noone could see or hear them...

"Oh, Keigo-kun... you look terrible!" now Makoto turned to honest-mode. "What did they did with you?"

"Makoto... what are you doing here? And please be quiet, I don't want that..."

"Don't worry!" she said and lift her hand to cut him off. "Your secret is safe with me! That's the least I can do for you after I killed you!"

"You didn't kill me! That was all my fault... mine... and that landslide that hit the taxi!" Keigo murmured. "Makoto... I don't want to pull you into danger. The fact that you are here with me and know that I am still alive could..."

"Keigo, I am well aware of that. And don't worry. This secret... and nothing of that what we talk about in here, will ever leave this room."

"How did you find me anyway?" Keigo asked confused.

"Like everyone, I thought that you are dead! I forgot everything. The Kurosaki's, the Shinigami... my memories were replaced." she told calm and with a shrug. "One day, when I was browsing threw the archive,... I found some footage. Of our conversation in prison that day. And suddenly, I remembered some things. I started to investigate and figured out that the CID stopped the investigation about your death suddenly and without any reason. After some more research I became curious. And... I better don't tell you the rest of this story because... some things I did... were not really legal..." Makoto became red. "Finally... I found you. First I thought that you were a fake or something? Than I realized the truth. I wanted to visit you immediately to talk to you. But I couldn't do it. I knew that you had to endure so many things to free yourself from the Kurosaki's and the Shinigami. I didn't want to interfere in your life. Especially because you have a son. By the way, Akira is really sad. She was devastated when I asked her about..."

"YOU TOLD HER ABOUT IT?!" Keigo screamed shocked and in Tokyo-Dialect.

"Dialect, Masaru... remember dialect!" Makoto hissed. "And no! I only asked her about. And she believes that she had a miscarriage. Admit it, you used some kind of Shinigami-Shit on her. I know you only did it because you wanted to protect him... but..."

"What is this? An interrogation? Or an interview?"

"Please... Masaru... don't force me to call you Keigo!" she hissed and stopped talking when Keigo's boss suddenly entered to bring the coffee he promised. Makoto continued after he left. "I want to finish it. I promise to you that nobody will ever know about our conversation here..."

"Nobody expect my boss, and everyone else in this building!"

Makoto moaned. "Yes! I am not wired, bugged and I don't record anything... I just have so... endlessly many questions! You don't have to answer them all. But I promise to you that you will never ever see me again, as soon as we are ready here."

"It's not about it! No, to be honest... I am really happy to see you again! It feels good to see someone." Keigo said and took a deep breath. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"First of all, I would like to know, how you survied... this crash?" Makoto asked. "I saw the wreck! Your body was found there! What happened?"

"I... I don't know it, too..."

10 years ago... in the Yamanashi Prefecture...

Keigo screamed horribly when the taxi crashed threw the crash barrier and made a jump into the air like on a ramp. Than it start to fall down the slope into the valley. Keigo saw the driver flying out threw the missing windshield and disappearing into the darkness... he's dead! That's what Keigo thought. The poor man will never survive this! And he... will die now, too. He will die here and now. And than the Shinigami will find him and destroy him.

The taxi crashed with the tires down on the slope very hard. All other windows shattered immediately. Keigo did not fasten his seatbelt. So he was thrown into the footwell, while the taxi lift into the air again and start to turn around. The taxi crashed threw a treetop. The front passenger-door was torn off. A big branch of the tree crashed inside, pierced threw the passenger-seat, Keigo was laying behind and torn it into pieces. It missed Keigo's head just a few inches. Broken glass, branches and debris flew around him. A large and sharp piece of metal impaled his right leg, when the car hit the ground for a second time. This time laying on the drivers-side and slipping down the steep slope. Keigo hold on that what was left of the front passenger seat, to not to be thrown across the car...

Keigo's whole life passed his mind. He realized how botchy it was in his youth, and how 'wannabe-good', but not realy liveable until the Kurosaki-Gate... He was never satisfied with his life but he never imagined that it ends this way. He always thought that Mizuho will kill him some day in one of her outbursts. Or Tatsuki? He just escaped Ichigo only to be crushed in this god-dammed taxi...

While the taxi slipped down the slope on the side, the whole backseat was torn out of it's holder and pressed Keigo deeper into the footwell. This horrible noise of metal, beeing torn echoed threw his ears, while the taxi smashed threw several big bushes, turned around and finaly fall on it's roof. Keigo realized how he and the backseat crashed down. Now he could feel that he was laying on the backrest of the backseat, while he and the taxi continued slipping down the slope and finally stopped between the logs of two trees...

Present...

"You remember it so well and detailled?" Makoto asked scared after Keigo told her as detailed as possible about what happened in the taxi.

"I tried to forget! Some people say, that the shock, let you forget something like this! But I was never able to forget it!"

"And what happened after?"

"Well... you don't tell anyone... I only tell you because I realy trust you..."

10 years ago...

When Keigo opened his eyes, he realized that he was severly injured, but alive. Everywhere was blood. His blood! It ran in rivers down out of his face and out of his leg. He had deep cuts everywhere. When he tried to stand up, he realized that he was laying on something soft. The backrest of the rearseat was like a huge cusion that safed him from the sharp metal leftovers of the roof. A heavy branch was on him and stopped him from lifting up. The stench of burned oil and smoke was in the air. The car was burning. Not even the heavy rain stopped the fire. But it turned the ground into mud which absorbed the crash a little bit more. It felt like almost every bone in his body was broken. He heared someone screaming far away. Someone was screaming for help... Slowly Keigo realized, that it had to be the taxi-driver. Keigo prayed for him and was happy that the man survived and that he didn't killed him.

The taxi-driver hang on a branch in a tree, around 100 Feet over the wreck. Down there he could see the squashed and shredded taxi burning between the trees. The fuel-tank was almost empty at the time of the crash. But there was still enough fuel to leak and to light up everything at the side. Desperately the man screamed for help. But here in middle of nowhere, in the middle of the night and during a storm nobody would ever find them. He was severly injured, too and wasn't able to feel his legs anymore.

In two hours, when he is on the verge of freezing to death, the police will arrive. After his emergency-call, the GPS of the taxi send a distress signal. He will stay paralyzed. He will spend several months in hospital and in rehab. But he will be alive...

Keigo however, will burn in a few minutes if he does not escape from here. The car was crushed very hard and was laying between the trees, so that he wouldn't be able to open any door. It would be more than difficult to escape. Especially because the other side was already surrounded by flames. The only way out was the window.

Present...

"How did you escape with all your injuries?" Makoto asked curious. "I just ask because... you tell me this and... did someone help you?"

Keigo looked on her worried. "If I tell you that, you will..."

"Don't tell me that I will be in danger! In my job I am used to hear horrible and shocking facts. It can't be that worse?" Makoto replied. "I won't tell anybody. I only want to know it to get my peace..."

Keigo moaned... "Well... it... is... ehm... the Shinigami safed me..."

Now Makoto was really shocked.

10 years ago...

Keigo was trapped and his injuries were too hard to crawl out of the taxi by himself. The fire went closer and closer. He could feel the heat near his legs. With his right arm, which seemed to be uninjured, he tried to pull himself threw the opening which was once the side window. The rain stopped, the fire became bigger and the smoke thicker... Than Keigo heared voices again. Pretty clear...

"THERE!" a male voice screamed.

"Boah, he is alive?" another man said.

Both man seemed to be very close to him. Than Keigo could see that someone was right next to the taxi now. Someone found him, Keigo thought. Someone found him and he is safe now. Keigo relaxed and lift his arm again to catch thier attention...

"Look! He is in car!"

"He's alive!"

Keigo couldn't see anything threw the thick smoke. His pain was so horrible that he couldn't move the rest of his body. His mind was switched off. But now he knew that he will survive. He will survive and see his child. He will be a father for it. Somehow! But in the very last moment, he could see that the two men outside didn't wear normal clouthes. They weared black Kimonos... the Shinigami found him...

Present...

"I knew that will die." Keigo said abashed.

"Why you are so sure?" Makoto asked.

"And why do you sound like you defend them?" Keigo asked back upset.

"I'll explain you that later! Just tell me what happened after!"

Keigo continued upset...

10 years ago...

Keigo is going to die. He could feel it. Literally! Because the fire almost reached him. So now he had the choice between beeing cut into pieces by these Shinigami, or to burn pitifully in this taxi...

Keigo pulled his hand back inside again and start to sob. His poor baby. Now he could only hope that Akira was not so stupid to ever contact the Kurosaki's and tell them about the baby. He would never ever met him or her. He would never know how it feels like. He thought a lot about it over the last days since he figured out. About his own childhood, his own parents, his sister... He wanted to make everything different. He wanted to be there for his child. Despite his breakup with Akira. Not like his parents who only watched them from far far away and always say that everything is bad. And he means really everything! And he wanted to be careful with the people his child befriends. He or she doesn't deserves friends who were so bad like his. Was his father right? His old man always insist that Kurosaki was no good influence. That Tatsuki was an abusive bully, Orihime a hussy with operated breasts and Chad a monster. Mizuiro seemed to be the only one who was accepted by his parents, but maybe just because his parents were wealthy. But latter one never seemed to take him seriously and only tolerated him... and that was the moment... Keigo choosed to burn. Still hoping that his baby will have a better and especially Shinigami-free live...

"Asano, give me your hand... HURRY!" one of the Shinigami screamed when he found Keigo hiding in the burning car.

"ASANO! QUICK! THIS THING IS GOING TO EXPLODE, SOON!" the other one screamed.

"LEAVE ME ALONE, YOU PEOPLE DISPARAGING MONSTERS. I WISH THAT I HAVE NEVER MET YOUR KIND!" Keigo screamed before he could feel that his trousers burst into flames...

Present...

"After that it became weird..."

"In what way?"

10 years ago...

While Keigo could feel that his clouthes burst into flames, he could feel the Shinigami trying to pull him out of the burning wreck...

After that... he felt nothing. For a few seconds he felt absolutely nothing... no heat, no pain, no cold hands pulling on him. And when he finally opened his eyes... he felt something again. He was wet. He was laying on a wet and cold rock. The trees around him shimmered in the light of the fire. The rain stopped, but there was this icy wind blowing threw the valley. Keigo didn't understand anything. He didn't know how he got out of the taxi and how he ended up here on the ground. He only saw the two Shinigami sitting on the ground near him. Both were exhaused and totally wet from the rain. Both looked like they had a shock and no clue what to do now.

Keigo lift up and realized that all his broken bones weren't broken anymore. The deep cut on his leg was gone, too. The two Shinigami were talking something about 'Healing-Kidou's' and how to use them on severe injuries. And they mentioned that Orihime could help with her healing-powers. Keigo turned away carefully to sneak away. But the Shinigami mentioned him...

"ASANO!"

"NO!" Keigo screamed and tried to run away. But the Shinigami (Keigo just saw that they weared 'Gigai's' now), catched him and tried to hold him.

"Asano, please calm down!" the Shinigami begged while his comrade pulled a memory-replacer out of his pocket to use it on Keigo, if necessary.

"NO! You monsters... leave me alone... YOU... AGHHHH..."

Keigo freezed in shock. Because he saw himself. He saw himself laying on the ground. Dead, full of blood and with burns everywhere. And he stood next to it. Slightly injured and with foreign, but at least clean, clouthes. Now he was really going to freak out...

"WHAT IS THAT?" he screamed horrified and pointed on the body on the ground.

Keigo didn't move anymore. So the Shinigami realeased him from thier grip and tried to talk to him calmly.

"Asano-san, calm down! That's a Gigai." the Shinigami explained.

"We will take care of everything, so you can..." the other one continued. But Keigo start to scream so loud that both of them had to hold thier ears.

"WHAT DO WANT TO DO WITH THIS THING?" Keigo screamed. „NO... no no no... I don't want to know it. You will tell me a lie anyway... as always..."

"Asano, please... let us explain everything... we only want to help you. The support is on the way..."

When Keigo heared this, he freaked out completely. He wanted to leave. At any cost. And before the Kurosaki's arrive to finish everything...

The brawl between Keigo and the two much stronger Shinigami took just a few seconds. Keigo was going to loose it anyway. But somehow he managed to grab this thing, one of them hold in his hand, and used it to shoot on the two Shinigami...

His two 'saviors' faded away instantly and fell into the mud where they sleeped deeply. In fear Keigo took a closer look on the device and found a little note: For memory-replacement... Caution: Also works on Shinigami in Gigai!

Keigo felt weird. He looked around again and tried to understand this mess...

Finally... he expected following: These two Shinigami brought this 'Gigai', or however it is called, with them. He didn't know why. But they managed to let it look like him. They used some 'Shinigami-Hocus-Pocus' on him, to heal his injuries after they pulled him out of the burning taxi. But now, they had 'replaced' memories. That was his chance to leave. Far away he could hear a siren howling. An ambulance maybe. But first he had to get rid of this 'Gigai'...

It was a weird feeling, to see himself as 'corpse'. But he always got lies and felt so much pain because of the Shinigami. He had to do this. They want to see Keigo dead... so 'Keigo' will be dead..."

Present...

"So... the body they found in the taxi is in truth..." Makoto realized shocked.

"An artifical body-clone, the Shinigami manufactured. Don't ask me why. But finally, I had a chance to get all this shit out of my life. So I took that thing... and pulled it back to the taxi..."

10 years ago...

Keigo was surprised about how lightweight this body was. That remind him about how painful and difficult the past weeks were. And the drugs weakened it, too. The taxi was still on fire and it would continue burning for a while. Keigo pulled his 'Gigai' as far as possible back threw the window... until a huge sting flame shoot out and hit his face...

Present...

"The good thing was... that it was now more difficult to recognize me..."

10 years ago...

Keigo screamed while he hold his burned face. His face, his hands, his hairs... he was on fire. The sting flame hit him with full force. He stumbled away dizzily and jumped into a nearby river...

He lost his consciousness briefly. But than he woke up and float away. He didn't remember for how long. But after a while he was washed ashore. After torkeling threw the forest for another hour, he found an abadoned house... It had energy, a first-aid-kit, clean and dry clouthes and something to eat inside...

Present...

"I admit... it was a bit too easy to survive... From that day I killed my former myself... I had luck."

"Why you never called? Why you let us all think that you died?" Makoto asked. "We were all devastated..."

"They would had found me. Than they wouldn't just kill me, you would be the next. No, believe me! It was the right decicion! Of course I always ask myself if it was really necessary. If I just overreacted again? That I should just tried to defend myself. But I just can't trust the Shinigami anymore. That was the worst mistake I ever did. I was able to start all over again. And it was the right decision... My son, will grow up without all this shit..."

"Keigo... I don't know how to tell you... But your friends... really miss you!" Makoto murmured. "After I remembered again... I start to research. I knew that none of them would had ever talked to me voluntarily... So,... I asked one my coleagues to interview your friends..."

"What?" Keigo asked shocked.

"Don't worry! I only wanted to know the truth. Everyone else told me that they are as cold as ice and heart-less... well that's what your former classmates told me..." Makoto explained and pulled something out of her purse. Keigo was surprised, because he never expected to see something like this ever again: two audio cassettes!

"What is that?" Keigo asked, when he got the cassettes.

"These... are the interviews with your friends. I thought you may want to hear how they really think about you. They miss you really much. And I mean really really much! You never thought about to... I don't know... return..."

"Makoto... it is too late. If I show up now... they will explode in anger. And than they beat me to death..."

"Really?"

"Really!" Keigo murmured. "You know... I remember exactly what I wanted to tell you during the interview in prison back then..."

"Is that true? So... you want to give me now... the interview I wanted..."

Please review.


	8. Chapter 8

While Keigo and Makoto met, his son was at home and enjoyed his last day at home before he has to go to school tomorrow again. But than he could feel it... he could feel that someone was standing right at the door. That was really weird. And than he could hear the person knocking.

Kenta's father always told him to never ever open the door to a foreigner. If something like this happens, he was only allowed to talk to this person threw the closed door.

“Who is there?“

Ikkaku Madarame could hear the boy's voice. It was some kind of shrill and with a slightly annoying note. For him, it was a proof that this child, may be an Asano...

“Hello! Open the door!“

“I am not allowed to open to foreigners!“ Kenta respnd.

“Where's your father?“ Ikkaku asked.

“At work!“

“I need to talk to him!“

“But he is at work! Come back later!“

A few years ago, Ikkaku wouldn't be impressed and had just kicked the door open. But since the 'Asano-incident' things have changed. He became more carefully. Especially because he shouldn't break a rule, that was once issued because of him.

“I'll be back later!“ Ikkkau said and left... he would come back later...

At his company, Keigo was still trembling. He couldn't believe that he just agreed to give her now this interview. This dammed interview, 50 million people wanted to see in TV back then. This dammed interview, that was suddenly interrupted and prevented by Kazui and Ichika. Makoto could see that she went a little bit too far and decided to break up. But Keigo realized that he had to do it. He would tell her now what he wanted to tell her back then. After that, he would be free... and he would be able to kill 'Keigo' once for all... he could be Masaru...

They were alone. Just him and Makoto. His colleagues could neighter hear nor see them. Keigo closed his eyes and imagined them back into the prison. Back then, ten years ago. Only him, her and the two cameras alone in the visitors-room. And he ignored the fact that they could see him in the Soul Society. That was a place without any technology. So there were also no TVs. Back than he believed it at least. He didn't know that they had a TV. He imagined now, how it was back then. Just him and Makoto! They talk objectively. They don't call each other by thier given name. They act professional. In his imagination, Makoto had her old haircut back and weared the same pantsuit again. And he was himself again. Emaciated, overtired but vivid prepared by a makeup artist to not to scare the viewers...

In his minds, he saw and heared Makoto greeting the viewers and telling them in her usual way, what they will see now. And than Keigo start to talk... telling everything what bothered him for so many years...

While Keigo and Makoto sat together, neighter he nor her knew that several other people talked about Keigo, too. And they all decided to give his son a visit.

“YOU WANT TO DO WHAT?!“ Mizuiro screamed threw the phone. Tatsuki had to hold a hand over the earpiece scared. “I think that this is a terrible idea!“

Tatsuki was in her small apartment in the south of Yokohama. Mizuiro just returned to his apartment in the city-center of Chisinau, the capital of Moldova where he was working. Mizuiro was so shocked about his friends sudden announcement, that he had to step out on his terrace to get some air.

“I don't care. I already called my workplace and told them that I won't come tomorrow. I take the morning flight up there, look after this boy, ask his father a few questions and take the evening flight back. And don't dare to tell Ichigo or Orihime about it... I even don't know why I do it.“

“Why do you do it anyway?“ Mizuiro asked. He was pretty sure that she waited to tell him about this until he is back in Europe on purpose. He was 9.000 kilometres away and couldn't stop her.

Tatsuki decided to explain him everything: Several months ago, she visited a cousin in Abashiri (which was in the north of Hokaido, too). During a walk, they passed a baseball field. There was a small mini-tournament between several local school's that day. There she saw him. She was shocked, because she would had recognized this face in millions. The next day, she saw a photo of the boy and several of his classmates in a local newspaper. A photo neighter the boy himself, nor his father knew about. And since then she was haunted by her memories. She couldn't sleep anymore. Everytime she closed her eyes she saw Keigo in front of her... She blamed herself for what happned to him and for his outburst. She wished that she never overreacted and that she never caused him to enter this dammed taxi. She didn't trust the Shinigami, too. She understood him. She made mistakes. He comforted her when she attacked Ichigo after Orihimes disappearance. She was convinced that the Shinigami didn't tell them the whole truth and remembered Mizuiro on the transcription of Keigo's conversation with the psychatrist. They both mentioned that some parts were missing. Like Keigo, she was convinced that this creatures believe, that they were not more than 'minor powerless human-creatures' who were not worth it.

While listening, Mizuiro went into his kitchen to get a glass of liquor... it was agitating him. He didn't trust the Shinigami, too. But Keigo was the only one of them who didn't smiled it away and talked openly about it.

Tatsuki respond on Mizuiro's question about why she was so convinced that it was really Keigo, or Keigo's son with a much more shocking confession...

“Because... several years ago... I talked to Keigo's ex-girlfriend! Personally!“

“What?“

“Yeah... it was a coincidence, more or less. I... just didn't dare to tell anyone of you...“

“And, what you two talked about?“

“About Keigo! So and about some other things... and than she... confessed to me that she was once pregnant by him!“ Tatsuki explained. She could hear threw the phone that Mizuiro dropped a bottle or a glass because there was a loud bang. “She said... she had a miscarriage. But her statement... it was so... weird... It made absolutely no sense... And than I thought a little bit more about it and remembered something: Memory replacement! Rukia explained it to us once back then, do you remember? I am pretty sure that the Soul Society, or someone else has something to do with it...“

“Tatsuki, you have no evidence!“

“That's why I just want to fly up there to clarify some things. Even the possibility that I took this boy his father away... and... and that he maybe doesn't even knows who he really is.“

“Why should the Shinigami take Keigo's son away from his mother? I don't understand it. This child didn't did anything wrong! Just like Keigo!“

“I think it is not about Keigo's ex-girlfriend! It's all about us!“

“About us?“

“Just remember... to be honest, we treated him like a piece of shit. Than we turned him insane and than we have driven him to death...“

“Don't say that, Tatsuki! Yes, I agree that we were not good friends to Keigo, we have to live with that. But we haven't driven him to death!“ Mizuiro said while he tried to remain as calm as possible. “His death was an accident!“

That was Mizuiro's way to handle it. But Tatsuki was not able to be dissuade.

“Come on and admit it... you think the same as I do! I mean, you just have to look on your apartment! I call you back when I talked to the boy and than we talk about that again and in more detail. I have to go now. And you don't dare to tell anyone...“

Tatsuki hang off. Mizuiro put the horn back on the reciever and looked around...

Mizuiro's apartment was in the top floor of a modern, eleven storeys apartment-building with many spacious and luxury apartments. Most of them were rent to foreigners like him, who came to Chisinau to study, to work or for vacation. When Mizuiro moved in, he choosed this apartment because it was located just a five-minute-walk from his workplace, the central market and a two minute bus-ride to the countrys biggest shopping-center. But now, he took a closer look on the colour of the walls and the carpet, the furniture and how it was placed and on the many plants that turned his small terrace into a small jungle. Now, he only had to buy a living chicken on the market to keep it as a pet on the terrace and his apartment would be a great copy of Keigo's apartment in Minato. That was the moment he had to agree that he was haunted by his memories, too... Dazed and full of sorrow he drunk the rest of the bottle...

Two other boys, who talked about Keigo, reached the crossroad where thier ways would seperate. Kazui and Yupa nooded to each other in agreement and walked on thier ways home. Kazui went right and Yupa straight ahead! Now it was time to face thier parents. It was a perfect plan... maybe not as perfect as it should be... but it was the perfect opportunity to travel to Hokkaido to look after this child.

Kazui's parents were both in the clinic and there seemed to be no patiens currently. With a bright smile, Kazui entered the house, greeted them and aproached them with a very special expression on his face...

“What do you want and how much is it?“ Ichigo asked instantly.

“How dare you to think that I want you to buy something for me?“ Kazui asked shocked and offended.

“Cuz that is your 'I need money face'!“

“This is my 'I need money face'?! It should be my 'I need to ask you something really important face'!“

“Ichigo, let your son explain what's going on first!“ Orihime interfered and turned to her son, smiling on him, too. “Okay, Kazui... what's up?“

That was the moment. The moment Yupa's plan will succed or fail: “Yupa got some tickets for the big match!“

“Which big match?“ Orihime asked. Ichigo thought briefly about it and could imagine which match his son was talking about.

“Which big match? I am talking about the match of the year: The soccer-match between Japan and North Korea in the qualifying round for the FIFA world championship next year.“ Kazui talked a little bit louder now. But on purpose.

“Isn't it in Sapporo?“ Ichigo replied. “How you want to get there?“

“With a low-cost-carrier! We pay the tickets by ourself. We would be away for just one evening. It's during the weekend, so we won't miss any school and we would take Ichika with us. You know she really want's to try out to fly with an airplane one day...“

Ichigo and Orihime looked on each other. So far there was no reason to say no. They wouldn't skip the school, they would travel as a group and look after each other, they were mature and responsibly and they knew how to get there and how to get back... But Ichigo had one more question!

“Where Yupa got the tickets from? I thought that the match is sold out for months?“ Ichigo remembered.

“Oh, the guy who is cleaning the changing rooms in the arena, is the cousin of the brother of one's brother in law of Yupa's father...“

Kazui confused his parents with this statement. But that was part of the plan. As well as Kazui's 'I need money face', he took on on purpose, too.

“What do you think?“ Ichigo asked his wife.

“What do Yupa's parents say about it?“ she replied to her son.

“They say, that they agree, if you agree, too!“

Finally Ichigo, as well as Orhime agreed to thier son's trip. Just a few seconds later he recieved a message from Yupa on his smartphone, that his parents believed his own version of the story, too and agreed. And just a few minutes later Ichika contacted him, too. She confirmed that her parents fall for it, too... now they could continue with thier plan...

Keigo meanwhile had a very 'exciting' day. Makoto offered him to give him a ride home, but Keigo remembered her that it would not be good if they are seen together. It was unbelivable what he just told her. It was very perceptively, but also very stirring. She mentioned that everyone in Hollywood would love to have this story. Keigo just nooded silently. He was just happy that it was out and that he doesn't need to think about it anymore.

Keigo's interview would had agitated many people. It was a mix of a personal review of the Kurosaki's, his own mistakes, his friends and about what they did. A clarification of some fake facts but no sensitive secrets. Someone would have been offended. His friends would had feel pretty bad. Some Shinigami would had been offended, too. Especially because Keigo refered them as 'Hot Air' at one place. But it was kind of true since, for everyone who was not able to see them, they were really not more than 'Hot Air'. His sister would had smashed her TV. His parents would had send a lawyer to him immediately, to support him. Anyway, many people would had changed thier opinon on the Kurosaki's or on him. His friends would had ordered the kids to 'kidnap' Keigo immediately to bring him to Soul Society... all in all... many things would had changed...

When they said goodbye to each other, Makoto discreetly handed him a business card and a note with her current private number. She told him that he could call her whenever he needs help or if he needs someone to talk. Keigo didn't know, should he be relieved or worried. He didn't want to pull Makoto in danger. But he knew that Makoto would never double-cross him... at least... he thought so...

While Keigo had to stay at his company to do his job (which was planned anyway), Makoto entered her rental-car to get back to her hotel in Abashiri. Always smiling and with this self-confident expression, that was one of her trademarks. She was a alone for a second maybe, when the frustration inside her broke free. How dared she to do this? How could she be so mean? So mendacious and treacherous? The reason for all this suddenly appeared out of nothing, right behind her on the rearseat. Right after she stopped at a red light...

Makoto could see something passing very quickly at her left eye. Than it became suddenly icy cold inside the car. It felt like a strong wind gust hit the car and shaked it briefly. A sparkle appeared in her view. It came from a long and sharp sword. She freezed immediately...

“How is he?“ the Shinigami asked.

“Pah, like you are really interested in it?“ she replied mad. 

“We are! And we are really grateful that you helped us!“

“I... only did... this... for Keigo and his son!“ Makoto groaned and tried to not to cry. 

When she start to open her jacket to pull out something she hid under it, another car honked behind her because the light was green and she was not driving. Makoto drove on and looked for a safe place to park the car. When she reached a small parking lot, she parked the car and handed the Shinigami back his dammed bugging device, she was forced to hid in her bra...

Makoto told the truth when she told Keigo about how she found him. But she lied to him when she told him that she was working on a story in Shari. In truth, two Shinigami suddenly appeared in her apartment and forced her to take a flight to Hokkaido to face Keigo. Telling her that it was time to 'pay the debts'. After Kurosaki-Gate, she was spared from any punishment by the Soul Society. But from that moment she was in thier debt. They needed informations. But no Shinigami was allowed to get close to Keigo or his son, because 'terrible consequences' will follow. But he never think that an old friend would lie to him. Especially because she really wanted to know what he would had told her, too.

Makoto handed the small something to the Shinigami without turning to him and without looking on him. She just wanted him to leave and to never come back.

“Hirabata-san, all of this... never happened!“

“Just... stay away from them!“ she said with a treatening voice. “Neighter Keigo, nor the boy... deserved it!“

“We don't want to hurt anyone of them. No, on the contrary... We want to find a way to make the things well again, too. We understand that you don't believe, or trust us...“

“Just leave! And never show yourself again!“ Makoto ranted. This time she turned to him to face him and to say it directly into his face.

“Don't worry, I go!“ he said as calm as possible and disappeared as suddenly and as quiet as he appeared.

As soon as he was gone, Makoto break out in tears. She was totally distraught and hysteric. She will regret it. She could feel it. She could feel that something really terrible will happen. With tears in her eyes, she looked over to the building she just came from. It looked like a dark cloud was growing over it. Makoto drove away sobbing... if something would happen to Keigo... or to the little boy... she would never be able to forgive herself...

Keigo meanwhile start to calm down a little bit. Despite the fact that all of his colleagues asked him various questions about Makoto and why he never told anyone that she was once one of his classmates. Keigo was able to choke off all questions. Before he left the building, one of his colleagues approached him to thank him for his help with an importrant project. 

“I owe you something!“ he said before Keigo left.

Keigo was a little bit scared. The last time someone told him this, his whole world was turned upside down shortly after...

Just a few minutes later, Keigo sat in the bus back to his hometown. There was this cold and rigid wind again. Everyone realized that summer was over and that the winter was comming. Keigo left the bus at the bus stop near his apartment and rushed to get home as soon as possible. We was gone way longer than he expected. Kenta would be worried. He was also still thinking about listening this audio-tapes he got from Makoto.

“Osaka-san!“ a man said. It was his landlord. 

“Oh, good evening!“ Keigo greeted him.

“Osaka-san, it's about your son!“ the man said worried.

“What's going on?“ now Keigo was worried, too.

“Maybe an half and hour ago, your son stormed out of your apartment and hid behind the trashbins.“

“Why?“

“I don't know... when I asked him he didn't respond. He just said... 'I am waiting for daddy', lift up and left. I tried to call you, but your mailbox picked up every time.“

Keigo looked on his smartphone and finally saw that he had three missed calls from his landlord. “Where is my son?“

“He is sitting there under the stairway and looks like a maniac. I don't know what the boy broke but don't be so harsh to him. I have to leave now...“

Keigo rushed to the place, his landlord mentioned and found his son sitting there. His face was as white as chalk and he had this apathetic expression.

“Kenta, are you okay?“ the boy didn't answer. He just stand up and pointed on the door to thier apartment. “Something wrong?“

“There... is someone!“ he murmured abashed. 

“ What?“ Keigo start to become nervous. “Kenta-chan, please tell me... it someone in our apartment?“

“There is a man... in the kitchen...“ Kenta murmured while they walked upstairs and reached thier apartment. The door was damaged.

“Please what? Kenta... who? You know that you are not allowed to let foreigners in...“ Keigo said. 

“He... he just came in... and than...“ a tear ran down his face.

“Kenta... what happened?“ Keigo asked now full of fear.

Kenta pointed on thier door again. Something really terrible had to happen inside. With trembling hands, Keigo opened the damaged door, sneaked inside, went into the kitchen and saw the whole mess...

Keigo let out a loud and horrified scream. Kenta, who would normally be afraid and scared, remained as apathetic as before. The boy watched from outside how his father stumbled out of the kitchen. Full of fear and now as white as chalk, too. Keigo had to use one hand to hold his mouth, while he used his other hand to hold on on a table to not to fall. Than he looked on his son. The pale and scared face of his son confirmed his worst theory. It was obvious that his son was responsible for that...

In fear, Keigo looked on the body in his kitchen again. It just laid there. The clouthes full of blood and with a knife in his stomach...

Keigo did not know what was worse... the fact that his son just killed someone... the fact that there was a dead body lying in the kitchen... or the fact that this corpse was no other than Ikkaku Madarame...

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

Keigo and Kenta looked on each other with fear, horror and disbelief. After a few seconds, Keigo realized what was going on here: There was a god-dammed dead person laying in his kitchen. And to make it worse this dead person looked like Ikkaku Madarame. Was it Ikkaku himself? Or was it just one of this 'artifical bodies' these guys use? And if yes, what the hell he did here in his apartment? And what in the world he did to Kenta? And what did Kenta did to him?

“He just entered...“ the boy cried. Finally at least the boy said something to break the silence. “...he... he said... that he has to talk to us... I told him that you are not at home. But... he didn't dare to leave...“

Keigo took his son by his hand, pulled him inside and locked the door. After that he hugged him and tried to calm him down.

“Don't worry... Everything will be fine!“

“I... I... I didn't want to kill him!“

“Sshhh... calm down. You didn't kill anyone... Do you understand! Kenta... my boy... tell me please... what happened exactly?“

Kenta cried endlessly while he told his father everything: About how Ikkaku didn't dare to leave and how he start to ask weird questions. He asked him about a man named 'Keigo Asano'. Than he asked Kenta about earlier encounters with ghosts, Hollows and Shinigami. Kenta had some questions, too. But instead of answering, he got rude and angry. When he man got more and more rude, Kenta tried to hide in his room. But the man grabbled him and forced him to answer. Than Kenta finally confessed to his father about his visions! The same visions he had when he saw the man on the soccer-field and the man in that taxi in front of the cinema. He told him about the exploding plane and the exploding fish trawler. Kentra tried to flee out of the apartment and screamed for help. Suddenly he heared thier dead neigbour yelling. She suddenly appeared...

“Kumuyoshi-san?“ Keigo asked shocked.

“She... was here!“ Kenta answered succinct.

“And where... is she now? Can you... see Kumuyoshi-san right now?“ Keigo asked full of fear. He was afraid, that it might happen. That is son is really able... to see them...

Kenta told that the evil man suddenly 'redoubled' and that the second one weared a black Kimono and a sword. He used the sword to let the ghost of the old lady 'vanish'. Kenta tried to run away again but the man (and his twin) grabbled him and tried to silence him. Kenta was able to bite him and fled into the kitchen. The both men meanwhile became 'one' again. When he approached him, Kenta suddenly grabbled the knife from the knife block in affect to hold it in front of him... when he opened his eyes again, he heared the man groan. He ran directly into the knife and collapsed...

Keigo hugged his son again... he had to cry, too. Because his worst nightmare became true. The Shinigami must have found him and now they tried to hurt his son. He knew that Ikkaku was a violent bully. But that this guy was even able to abuse a little child, turned Keigo's fear into limitless rage...

“Kenta, I want you to go to your room, close the curtains and don't come out until I tell you. Understand! And one more thing... Listen closely: I... I and no one else killed him! Did you understand?“

Kenta nooded and did what his father told him... Keigo meanwhile looked closer on the chaos in his kitchen.

For that, that he got a knife into his stomach, there was not many blood on the floor. His eyes were open and his always so vicious looking face, looked so scared and horrified now. Keigo was pretty sure that this had to be one of these 'artifical bodies'. But he hoped so much that Ikkaku forgot everthing when he 'died' and passed over to Soul Society.

Carefully, Keigo turned over the 'corpse' on his back and carefully pulled out the knife out of his stomach. It was the big one. The one Kenta was not allowed to use or even to touch. He bought it just a few weeks ago in a Discounter when it was on sale. Keigo lift up, went to the sink and washed away the surprisingly few blood that was on it. As well as all fingerprints he saw before he dried it and put it back into the block. As soon as there is the next sale, he will buy a new one. Than he looked on the corpse again... It had to disappear... at any cost. But where?

When the doorbell rang, Keigo woke up from his imaginations... if this is the police... they will be doomed...

Slowly and carefully, Keigo went to the door.

“Who is there?“ he asked.

“It's me! Osaka-san, I need to talk to you! It's important!“ Keiko Otami said. She was his neigbour who ran the restaurant in the next door building. 

“Ehm... it's not good right now!“ Keigo said and turned around. From this place, the corpse in the kitchen was not visible but it was a pretty bad timing right now.

“Oh please, it's really important! I need your help!“

“Ehm... Wait, hang on!“

Keigo checked his clouthes and his body for any trace of blood. Than he checked his face. He had to look normal and healthy. Keiko was a really curious woman. She was always able to see when someone cried. Keigo cleaned his face with a refreshing-towel. Than he put off his shirt, because there was a small drop of blood and put on a bathrobe. When he opened the door, he saw that Keiko cried by herself, too.

“Otami-san, good evening. What's up?“ Keigo asked normally and like everything was fine.

“Oh, Osaka-san, I need your help. May I give you the key to the restaurant? My sister just called me. My mother had a heart-attack and is in hospital right now...“ the woman told worried and with tears in her eyes.

“Oh my gosh. I am so sorry for you!“

“Tomorrow... a man who is interested in the restaurant will show up. I already closed it. May you, let him in when he comes? I would do it by myself but I have to go to Sapporo immediately...“

“Well... I don't know...“ Keigo wanted to deny. Because he still had to get rid of this dammed corpse in his kitchen. But suddenly he had an idea... no... no... he can't pull her into this mess... otherwise the restaurant was empty now and no one would enter that place for a while... there was a... no he would have to... no he can't do it... but he had no other choice... 

“Awww... of course I can help you! You helped me so much in the past when you looked after Kenta. Go and look after your mother. Family... if you have one... is the most valuable a human can have.“

Kenta was Keigo's family. His only family. His violent sister and his so called 'parents' were not. He would do really everything to protect him...

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much! Here is the key. If the man asks, I want 3.5 Million Yen deduction for the interior. I'll be back in a few days. I call you when I know more and when I know when I will return.“

“Okay. And Otami-san... I wish you all the best for your family! Everything will be fine!“ Keigo said encouragingly.

“Thanky you!“ she said and left. 

Keigo closed the door again and looked on the key he just got. He couldn't believe it. But at least... he had an idea... He immediately wrapped the 'corpse' into several plastic-bas and two blankets. Everytime his son tried to left his room, Keigo shied him back. He will be traumatized. And Keigo didn't know how to tell his son that everything was fine. 

While he wrapped Ikkaku's body into the blankets, Keigo searched his pockets. He found a note with thier adress. He also found some kind of ban writing and a letter...

“...that we hereby declare that mentioned child is not related with Asano Keigo and advice you... according to decree bla bla bla... to stay away from the child...“ Keigo read. That was good, or not. Because it proved that the Soul Society was not aware that Kenta was really the son of Keigo Asano... but he was on thier radar. But what to do now... The corpse... first he had to get rid of the corpse. He can later burn the documents...

Keigo wrapped him into a big 'burrito' and fixed everything carefully with duct tape. Luckily he was not bleeding that hard. Artifical Shinigami-bodies seemed to have not many blood in them...

Before he brought the body away, Keigo waited for the sun to set, for all neigbours to be home and all lights to turn off. Keiko left hours ago. So the restaurant was empty now. He couldn't believe that he really dared to pull her in this mess. But it was only temporarily...

While he wait for the sun to set, he looked after Kenta. He told him that everything was fine. That it was not more than a bad nightmare and that he didn't kill a 'human'...

Keigo left him alone briefly. Because it was a good time now... Carefully Keigo peeked out to keep sure that nobody was watching him. Than he pulled the wrapped 'Ikkaku' out of the apartment. Always watching that he didn't left a blood-trail or anything else. Downstairs, he luckily found a hand truck next to the trash-bins. His landlord forgot it there. What a lucky coincidence! Now it was easier for him to transport the corpse to the restaurant. With the key, he got from Keiko, Keigo opened the rear-entrace and pulled the 'package' over the floor into the storeroom. Everytime looking that noone sees him. He hoped so much that it was still here. And there it was... the freezer...

In the Soul Society, some people talked about Ikkaku's sudden departure...

“Where is Madarame?“ Kenpachi Zaraki, the captain of the eleventh division asked upset. Ikkaku missed a meeting.

“He went to Hokkaido!“ one of the present Shinigami murmured. “Secretly!“

“Aw... of course... the rumor...“

Actually, it was a common rumor that Keigo Asano was hiding somewhere in the north of Japan (with the help of the Soul Society). And now he hid a dead Gigai in a closed restaurant...

With an other key from the ring, Keigo was able to open the padlock that was used to secure the freezer. The freezer was empty and switched off. It was a perfect hideout... at least until he knows where to hide it next before Keiko returns... Keigo opened the lid and start to lift the more than 120 pounds of body. It was difficult for him. But after several attempts, he was able to lift the dead body into the freezer, where he ploped in with a loud bang. Keigo keeped sure that none of the blankets slid away and closed the freezer again and secured it with the padlock. Than he put the plug into the socket and turned on the securing. After he was sure that the freezer was running, he left the restaurant again and went back home to look after his son...

In Yokohama meanwhile, Tatsuki prepared for her journey the next day... In Moldova Mizuiro wrote several messages to Tatsuki, trying to convince her to not to travel up there... At the same time, Yupa booked a flight for himself, Kazui and Ichika to Hokkaido. Noone needed to know that they had no tickets for the match...

Keigo looked after his son. The boy was still trembling and still as white as chalk. Keigo could hear that the boy's heart was beating very fast.

“Daddy... do I have to go to prison now?“ the boy asked afraid. 

“Gosh, no!“ Keigo hissed and hugged his son immediately again. “No no no... everything is fine. It's just a bad dream... Kenta... listen to me... you killed nobody... always remember that. You just defend yourself against a burglar!“

“What about the plane?“

“Which plane?“

“The plane I saw several times? The one that will explode in the paddy field? And the fish trawler?“

“Kenta, belive me... no plane will explode. Neighter here, nor in any paddy field, nor anywhere else! As well as no fish trawler will explode anywhere!“

“Really?“

“Really!“ Keigo said. “Okay... and now I want you to prepare for bed. Tomorrow you have to go to school again...“

Keigo didn't know what to do now. Should he tell Kenta the truth about who the man really was? But that would had turned everything much more difficult. Instead he did the same his friends did every time in the past and what he hated so much: Deny everything and hush it up!

The rest of the night until the dawn, Keigo spend with cleaning every visible and invisible spot in his apartment. He tried to remember every script of Crime-Lab-Tokyo he ever read and every scene he ever filmed for this series to erase every evidence of his son's act. At the end, when it was already bright outside again, Keigo fell on his couch exhausted and fall asleep instantly. Just to get awake by his alarm-clock less than one hour later. It was time for breakfast...

Keigo was still cleaning his kitchen, when Tatsuki left her apartment to get to the airport. She was so nervous that she didn't sleep very well, too. But she had to do it... She had to see everything with her own eyes.

Keigo and his son spend the (anxious) morning togehter. Keigo prepared breakfast in the kitchen like nothing happened. It seemed like Kenta sleeped well but he was still pale. When Keigo prepared his son's lunch, he carefully looked threw the window to the restaurant...

While Keigo brought his son to school, Tatsuki's plane landed. Keigo had to leave the apartment. At least for one or two hours, to get some air. And to think about everything. Should he really try to tell the boy that everything was just a bad dream? No, the boy was to smart for that. The truth? No, the boy wouldn't be able to endure it. He didn't endure it, too. But it was a fact that Kenta didn't kill anyone! Ikkaku was not a 'living human', so he was already dead or not? In front of the school's entrace, Keigo met his son's teacher...

“Ah, Kenta-chan... nice to see you again. And Osaka-san... what a rare pleasure!“

“Good morning! Good to see you, because I have to talk to you!“ Keigo said after he send his son away to his friends and told him once again that everything is fine.

“How is Kenta? I heared that he recieved a pretty hard punch on his head during the tornado.“ the woman said. 

“Yes, that's true. Listen... currently my son is really... I don't know how to describe it,... he is...anxious! He... told me about visions. I think the incident with the tornado shocked him a bit more than I first expected?“ Keigo lied. He knew the truth.

“Please define: Visions!“

“Well... he... thinks that he stabbed someone! And he thinks that a plane will crash soon...“ Keigo told her the truth. He hoped that she knows a way to help him. But Keigo blamed Kenta's head-injury for it...

While Keigo talked with the teacher, Tatsuki left the plane at Nakashibetsu Airport, to take a taxi to go to this small town, Ichigo mentioned. She had the newspaper photo of the boy with her and would use it to ask the people for more information...

Keigo meanwhile, said good bye to the teacher. She promised to keep an eye on Kenta and they arranged a parent-teacher-meeting for the next week. On his way home, Keigo went into the small supermarket of the town. He was surprised to find blankets on sale. What a lucky coincidence. After he had to 'dump' two of his blankets last night he bought two new ones, something to eat and a newspaper with apartment listings. Maybe it was too early to 'flee to Russia'. But maybe it will help when they move into another apartment. A bigger one. With an extra bedroom. Who knows...

Keigo and Tatsuki missed each other for just a few seconds. Keigo just walked around the corner when Tatsuki's taxi arrived in front of the supermarket.

“Okay, I'll leave here! From here I go by myself!“ she said while she paid the driver.

“Please, tell me... what do you want in this boring village?“ the driver asked curious. “The only exciting event in the last decade was a mini-tornado several days ago?“

“That's a long and complicated story, I don't understand as well. I'm... just looking for answers...“ Tatsuki murmured and left the taxi. She wanted to buy something to eat for herself in the supermarket and start to ask her way to the boy.

Keigo went home. It felt weird. It was still the same apartment. But it felt different. He decided to call in sick today at work. He wouldn't be able to concentrate anyway. He only hoped that Kenta was able to handle it. Should he tell him the truth? Is it time? He was well aware that sooner or later, the boy had to learn the truth. At least about the Shinigami, so that he knew that he should never ever talk to them and stay away from them... Especially now, after he stabbed one of them... Keigo felt dizzy again...

Meanwhile in the supermarket, Tatsuki told the employees there a 'plausible' reason why she is looking for this boy on the photo and hoped that they could tell her something about him...

“Yes, sure... that's Kenta!“ the woman said. “The son of the Hikkikomori!“

„Hikkikomori?!“

“Yes, a widower! A semingly embittered person I think. Almost never leaving his apartment...“

“He was here, just a few minutes ago!“ the other woman yelled from the cash register. “He bought some of the blankets from the sale.“

“Please, could you tell me his address? Please, I really really need to talk to him!“ Tatsuki begged.

The two woman looked on each other confused. It was pretty unusual that a foreign woman from the big-city was interested in the local Hikkikomori. But otherwise, it created some gossip for thier boring townlife and now they had something to talk about. They didn't know his address. But at least, they could tell her the name of the road... 

Keigo meanwhile walked one more time threw the apartment to keep sure that he really destroyed every evidence for the 'crime'. There was no 'crime' anyway. He knew Ikkaku well enough (or at least he thought so) to know that this dirty swine must have attacked his son and that the boy had to defend himself. It was pure self-defense... But now the boy would have questions... many questions... questions Keigo was not able to answer...

Tatsuki meanwhile, found the road, the ladies in the supermarket told her and looked around. She asked herself where a 'Hikkikomori' would live... a apartment. A house is too big for people like them. There were single-family houses on one, and small apartment-buildings on the other side. Just bad that she didn't have the family-name. So she would need some time...

At the same time, Keigo unwrapped his new blankets and took them to the living room. After that he went into the kitchen to store the groceries. On his way back, he accidentaly knocked over his suitcase. The two audio-tapes, he got yesterday from Makoto fell out. He had to think about Makoto. He couldn't believe that it was just a bad coincidence that Ikkaku appeared here in his apartement while she suddenly appeared in his company. But Makoto would never betray him. No, she wasn't even able to see Shinigami. So how? It seemed to be a coincidence. Keigo lift up the two tapes and looked closer on them. 

Two tapes. Each with the typical A and B side. One tape had 'Kurosaki' written on the A and 'Sado' written on the B side. The other one had 'Arisawa' written on the A side and 'Kojima' on the B side. Keigo thought about burning them immidiately. But... maybe... Keigo didn't know why, but he felt like he had to listen to this tapes urgently. Sure... they were friends... Friends who betrayed him and tried to kill him... but maybe not! This questions was bothering him for 10 years now: Did he simply overreact? Did his concussion and the withdrawal from the drugs just reinforced his typical overreactions? There was no way back, that's fact! It was too late! To much time have passed! While Keigo thought about it, he took the old cassette recorder from the previous tenant out of the shelv. When he moved in, he found it among some other stuff and originally wanted to throw it into the trash. But he never did because he always thought that he may need it one day. And it even had headphones. 

Keigo made some space on the coffee-table and put some new batteries into the recorder. It was still working perfectly, despite the fact that it was almost 30 years old. Than he tried to decide, which tape he listens first... he saw Tatsuki's name on the tape and felt weird. He didn't know why, but it was kind of forcing him mentally to listen to it first. Like it knew that Tatsuki was close and rang every doorbell in the neigbourhood.

The most people were at work, in School, shopping or busy with other things. But than Tatsuki met a friendly and helpful neigbour...

“The Hikkikomori? I think I know who you mean?“ the woman, who was home alone, murmured. “A guy with burn scars. I think, the man you are looking for is living in that apartment building there. But I am not sure, to be honest...“

Tatsuki thanked her politely and went to the building...

Keigo put the cassette into the recorder and closed the lid. After that he put on the headphones and pressed with his sweating hand on play before he closed his eyes...

It sound like he immagined a hidden microphone to sound like. Heavy steps walking threw a shop. A shop, or a bar... maybe a restaurant. A restaurant, not very crowded but in public and ideal for a meeting...

“Arisawa-san...“ he heared a foreign female voice saying. He immagined Tatsuki, sitting on a table, standing up to greet the lady. He immagined her like ten years ago. “Hello... My name is Kobayashi! We talked yesterday over the phone.“

“Good afternoon!“ he heared Tatsuki's voice saying. She sound nervous.

“Arisawa-san, first of all, we are very grateful that you agreed to this meeting. As you already know, the TV network I am working for is planning a made-for-television-movie about the life of Keigo Asano...“ Keigo was not very happy about that sentence. But he could imagine that it was just a pretext to lure Tatsuki into this meeting. He hoped so... “Arisawa,... you and Asano were friends? Is that correct?“

“Yes. Yes, we were friends!“ Tatsuki said. Now she was much more nervous and her voice became shaky. 

“But I also have say that I heared a different story from many people!“

“Well... I have to agree... that our relationship to each other... was not always so... I don't know how to describe it... It was not always the best... Keigo, was really our friend... so I hope that this movie also shows his good sites...“

Keigo was surprised. Maybe he should listen closer.

While Keigo start to listen, Tatsuki met Keigo's landlord.

“You are here for the apartment?“

“Oh, no no... I just want to visit someone! Do you have a tenant with burn scars?“ Tatsuki asked.

“Osaka-san?“

“Yeah... Osaka!“ she respond innoncently.

“Second floor, right apartment!“ the landlord said surprised. Tatsuki thanked him and went upstairs...

Keigo meanwhile listened carefully how Tatsuki told some quiet nice things about Keigo. After a couple of minutes she calmed down and told things about Keigo, he always thought that she was not aware of. When the reporter told her to be honest, she became more honest and told her about how annoying and perverted he was, too. But she appreciated his good features most. Telling that he was the one who kept the 'group' together. Keigo didn't understand... he could hear that someone knocked in the background...

Indeed, Tatsuki knocked on Keigo's door. She could see that there was a light burning inside. Curiously she peeked threw the window. She could see that there was a person sitting in the living-room, wearing headphones. She knocked again, this time against the window. But Keigo couldn't hear her... he thought that the 'knocking' came from the tape and that it came from the drinks Tatsuki and the other woman just recieved...

“Are you really telling me everything. I have the feeling that you are not completely honest to me.“ the reporter realized. 

“Well... I have to confess that... it was not always very easy. We... but... all at most I... did a serious mistake...“ Tatsuki murmured.

Later knocked on the door again and suddenly realized that it was not locked properly and that she was able to open it...

Keige, still with his eyes closed, realized that his friends were maybe not as bad as he always thought. The 'knocking' he heared seemed to be from the tape. He didn't mention anything. Especially not that Tatsuki carefully opened his door and entered his apartment.

“Hello? Anybody home?“ she asked. Keigo was to much focused on the tape and on that what Tatsuki told now: She told what happened in his apartment that evening.

“...I mean... I... I did that what I should had never do. It was propably the worst act of my life. I still have nightmares about it. It is just my fault that he entered that dammed taxi that evening.“

“You didn't call the police, after?“

“I did... I even confessed immediately that I hit him. Really, I wish that it never happened. And I wish to see him again.“

“See him again?“

“Yes... believe me when I tell you... If he would suddenly appear right in front of me... I would be so happy that I would start to cry and hug him. And I would apologize for all the bad things I ever did to him...“ Keigo opened his eyes and really saw a ten years older Tatsuki standing right in front of him. Looking on him in horror and as white as chalk. Keigo closed his eyes again to concentrate on the tape again, and not on his imagination of how Tatsuki would look like today and who just burglarized in here. “...belive me... as soon as I see Keigo again... I will treat him way better...“ 

The Tatsuki who stood in front of him right now and of whom Keigo thought that she was just a part of his imagination, slowly realized that this old man with all the burn scars was not only amazinly similar to Keigo... it had to be Keigo. But she couldn't feel him. She couldn't feel a soul... nothing... it felt like this man was a 'soulless' doll... and sudenly the 'doll' opened it's eyes as soon as he realized that there was really a woman in his apartment. And much to Keigo's misfortune: Out of 4 billion woman on this planet, it had to be the woman he just listened from the tape...

The moment, both realized the shocking truth... was the moment both start to scream in shock...

Please review.


	10. Chapter 10

That had to be a nightmare. There was no doubt. Tatsuki stood in his apartment. The Tatsuki from his past. The Tatsuki, he just heard talking on the tape. Is he loosing his mind? No, she is really here. She is no imagination, as he first thought...

Both start to scream in horror... The landlord heared everything from downstairs and ran upstairs immediately.

Tatsuki was totally shocked. Is it really Keigo? Keigo Asano, who burned in a taxi 10 years ago? The man has a lot of burn scars, so it is possible. This voice... the way he screams... this penetrative scream...

Keigo wanted to run away. He wanted to grab the knife, his son used to 'kill' Ikkaku and run away. He wanted to grab his son, board a boat and flee to Russia immediately... No... He had an idea... Dammed, he was once an actor... so it was time to act...

"WHO ARE YOU? WHAT DO YOU DO IN MY APARTMENT?" Keigo screamed, not in a typical 'Keigo-like-style' but like a foreigner would react and in perfect Kyoto-dialect.

"Keigo?" was everything Tatsuki was able to say surprised. She was just too shocked by herself.

"WHO? I AM GOING TO CALL THE POLICE, IF YOU DON'T TELL ME HOW YOU GOT IN HERE!" Keigo act like he didn't know her. In his mind he prayed for his desperate attemt to work. That his grey hairs, the scars and the false dialect help him to cover up his true identity.

"OSAKA-SAN?!" his landlord screamed shocked when he entered the apartment, too. "What happend? What's that screaming?"

"CALL THE POLICE! HERE IS A BURGLAR!"

"Osaka?" Tatsuki asked confused. "You're not... I mean... I am..."

"Hey, you again?" the landlord asked afte he recognized Tatsuki.

"Did you let her in here?" 'Masaru Osaka' asked shocked.

"You want me to call the police?"

"Which police?" Tatsuki asked shocked now. Slowly she realized that she just really commited a kind of crime: tresspassing.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Keigo screamed, keeping the dialect.

"Oh my god... I am so so sorry..." Tatsuki tried to apologize.

"Osaka-san... this woman just claimed that she knows you?!"

"WHAT?" now Tatsuki was screaming. "NO! I just said that I... I mean... I am looking for Keigo Asano and than I..."

"WHO?" 'Masaru' asked horrified.

"There is noone with this name living in this house!" the landlord moaned.

"I call the police!" Keigo yelled mad. He was so happy and lucky that his landlord suddenly appeared. He helped him to keep the lie alive.

"Oh no, please. Please, don't call the police! I really didn't want to burglar and I really didn't want to scare you." Tatsuki yelled shocked. "But... the door was open and I entered because nobody respond to me knocking on the door..."

"Would you please call the police?" Keigo asked his landlord.

"Did she attack you?"

"I didn't attack anyone. I am really really sorry for that. I will leave soon. What's your name?"

"First you tell me who you are!" Keigo said. He realized that he was good. He deserved an Academy-Award for this performance here...

"I'm sorry! My name is Tatsuki Arisawa. I am from Yokohama and I am here because I am looking... for a child..."

"A child?" Keigo and his landlord asked shocked. Keigo was totally horrified now.

"Are you some kind of pervert..." he suddenly said.

"What? No, dear... May I explain it to you! I will leave after! I promise." Tatsuki pleaded desperately.

"You have two minutes!" Keigo said. He wanted to scream to her to go away and to never ever come back again. But that would had destroyed his 'innocent-image'. If he really wanted to keep the lie alive, he had to act like a foreigner. After listening to her, he would ask her to leave his apartment 'politely'. And hope that she never comes back.

"Would you leave us alone, please!" Tatsuki asked the landlord.

"You stay!" Keigo yelled.

"Sorry, but this is a very personal thing. I can only talk to you alone..."

"I'll wait outside... but if I hear any more scream, I will call the cops!" the man said and left the apartment. Keigo didn't want him to leave. It was possible that Tatsuki was just acting, too and that she kills him instantly as soon as they are alone.

"Thank you!" was everything Keigo was able to say and looked after his landlord like he just lost the most important person in his life. This have to be a horror-movie. He somehow end up the opening-scene of a horror-movie. "So... Ari... what's your name?"

Keigo decided to continue playing his role and to rely on his dialect.

"I am really sorry for that. And I really didn't want to scare you! But you were so focused on your music that you didn't hear me knocking." Tatsuki apologized.

Keigo realized that the tape was still running, but luckily the earphones were still plugged so Tatsuki couldn't hear that it was her voice on the tape. Instantly Keigo turned around, switched of the recorder and hid the mashine and the other tape under a pillow on his couch and out of Tatsuki's eyes.

"That's not music. That's some stuff from my workplace. I work at home..." 'Masaru' explained. "So... why a woman from Yokohoma, comes to Hokkaido and burglarizes into a foreign apartment?"

"Sorry, but... as I already said it is a very... long and difficult story..."

"The short and simple version, please!" 'Masaru' said with a sound and in a way, Keigo would never ever dared to talk to Tatsuki. Tatsuki slowly realized that it was a mistake to come here and. "You just called me Keigo? Who is that?"

"You know... a friend of me... mentioned Keigo Asano, died in a horrible accident ten years ago. And... a couple of weeks ago... I found... this photo in a local newspaper. Here is it..."

Tatsuki handed the photo to the man. He realized that it was Kenta. Dammed, where in the world she got that photo. And how the local press dared to deliver his son to them?

"The boy on the photo... the similarity to my dead friend is just so... shocking... I am looking for the boy!"

"And may I ask you, why?" 'Masaru' asked. Keigo could feel that it was terrible.

"Aww... I don't know, too!" Tatsuki murmured abashed and start to cry. Keigo didn't belive his eyes. He never ever saw Tatsuki like this. "I mean, the boy's face and... there were rumors... He is your son, right? Did you... adopt him?"

"No!" 'Masaru' said cold and without any emotion. "No, my son is not adopted. I and my wife, we personaly brought him home after his birth. How dare to you...?"

"Gosh, I am so sorry. I really didn't want to assume anything to you or to your wife? Where is your wife?"

"My wife died 8 years ago." Keigo explained, still cold but with a sound of sorrow in his voice. "Why do you think that I adopted my own son?"

"Well... Your son and... you as well, look pretty similar to my friend. But... no... no, now that I look closer on you..." Tatsuki bit herself on her tongue. She didn't want to upset the man much more than he already was, by asking him about his scars. Yes, he looks like Keigo. But this man looked around 10 years older than Keigo would be now. The hair was grey and thin. Keigo had more hairs. And the rest of him was covered with scars. The scars would be a proof that he was in the burning taxi, but they could be from anywhere. Maybe from the fire in his apartment she heared about when the Shinigami showed up. "I mean... Keigo was... a little bit bigger and... younger than you. I am really sorry that I scared you that much and that I assumed to you that you... Ehm... I really just wanted to find peace for my mind. I made a terrible mistake back then and I thought that I can atone for by telling his child from us all... no... no, it shouldn't be. Sorry for bothering you with that. I think it will be the best when I leave now."

Keigo really wanted her to leave. He wanted her to leave with the knowledge that he was not Keigo and Kenta not his son. But before he had to ask her one more question. But just to be really sure that everything was fine: "You said us? Who do you mean?"

"Hmm... well from... all of us. From the whole group. Noone of them knows that I am here. I didn't tell them because I knew they would had never allow me to. And it would be really embarrassing if they figure out about or conversation here!"

Keigo understood it as a: No, Ichigo and the others doesn't know and they won't know! That was a big relief... but nevetherless there was something in the air. Dark clouds grew outside...

"I think I go now. And thanks for... not calling the police!" Tatsuki said innocently.

"Well, you didn't hurt anyone. But never do that again! A woman I know once mistaked her husband for a burglar and she hit a bottle on his head in the darkness. Now he is her ex-husband and … the police had something to laugh..." the story was fairytale. But it worked. Tatsuki calmed down and would leave now. Hopefully she never comes back...

"Thank you!" she said one more time and left. The landlord was waiting outside right in front of the door. Holding his smartphone, anytime ready to call the police if neccessary. Tatsuki apologized to him too once again while he accompained her downstairs. Keigo closed the door, fell on his knees and start to fight against his tears... that was so close...

Tatsuki was accompained by the landlord outside and expeled from the property with an angry glare. That was so embarrassing. Of course, the man looked pretty like Keigo, but it was impossible. Keigo would have react in a whole different way. Over the years, she learned how to controll all these 'spirituall awareness' and to feel if someone who was 'different' is standing right in front of her. But the man she just talked to felt like 'nothing'. Anyway she felt something in that apartment. Something familiar... like there was once a Shinigami in there... Ashamed and full of anger to herself, Tatsuki walked down the street and met the other woman again...

"Did you found him?" she asked friendly.

"Well... yeah. But he is not the one I was looking for. But thank you for your help..."

"One question... didn't you have a purse with you?" the woman realized and Tatuski realized that she really droped her purse in the apartment of that man while they screamed on each other. She had to go back there...

Keigo meanwhile needed some time to calm down...

His eyes filled with tears. That was never just a coincidence... Tatsuki... here in his apartment. He had to get out of here. Yeah... they definetely move. Even if it's just to another apartment. Or maybe it was really time to flee to Russia? Russia is big, sparsely populated and has many forests. But was he really able to do this to Kenta? Tearing him away from his friends and from his home? His heart was running wild while he stand up and went into the living room to continue listening to this tape. Maybe there was a reference. A reference of what to do now. Maybe he should have listen to her more? He had to be sure that she really didn't tell anyone about her trip up here? Keigo took the recorder and pressed the play-button to listen... he didn't mention Tatsuki's purse laying on the ground...

Tatsuki went back to the building, walked upstairs and knocked on the door again. She felt pretty bad but she needed her purse anyway. Not only because of her bording-pass for the return flight, which was inside. There were all of her money, her documents and her keys.

Keigo meanwhile sat down on the couch and pressed on the play button again. The cable for the headphones was not plugged anymore, so the tape was now played over the speaker... Keigo closed his eyes again... but than he opened them again to not experience such a terrible surprise anymore...

"Please explain me, what did you mean with 'seeing again'?" the reporter asked.

"Oh... well.. that's just... what I say... well... imagine... Keigo is now in... well... in the afterlife and there... let's imagine that he... get's a job there and... this job makes it possible for him to... get back to our world... I would do everything to support him... I know that this sounds really ridiculous and crazy but... Aww, it is complicated to explain..." Tatsuki murmured.

Keigo understood. She was saying something like, she and the others wished him to be a Shinigami to see him again. Never ever, he thought! Never ever he will allow this guys to interfere in his life... why him... Keigo, was not Shinigami-stuff. He was convinced. Nothing in the world could force him to go to thier 'training-facility'. Is it a school? He remembered someone once calling it an 'academy' but he was not sure.

"You really miss him, don't you?" the reporter asked. "It this the reason you wish him to... you know?"

"It's just that... after his death, we realized that..." Tatsuki said when suddenly someone knocked on the door again. Terrified, Keigo stopped the tape and lift up. After the recent events he was really terrified. Full of tense, he entered the kitchen, took the knife that was used to stab Ikkaku and hold it in front of him to protect himself if neccessary...

"Who is there?" he asked annoyed, to sound like he got disturbed during something really important.

"Ehm... Osaka-san... Excuse me..." it was Tatsuki again.

Keigo tought about grabbing another knife. Than he realized that he couldn't do it. Why she doesn't just leave?

"Go away..." he moaned. He tried to sound like a very busy person and in a way 'Keigo' had never dared to talk to Tatsuki, again.

"I am very sorry... but I think I dropped my purse in your apartment..."

"Purse?" Keigo asked and turned around. There was indeed a purse in his living room. It was right on the ground next to the couch table. "Wait a sec... I see it..."

"Oh, I need it back... please give it to me!"

Was it a trap? His landlord was gone. Now there was nobody to interfere in an emergengy? Could he really trust her? Keigo took the purse and looked inside. There was a smartphone, her wallet, a boarding pass for a flight to Haneda tonight and a bottle of water... no gun, weapon or anything else...

"I got it. Wait!" Keigo said and put the knife back. Carefully he opened the door and handed Tatsuki's purse to her. "Here is it! And now please leave us alone!"

"Yes,... please forgive me..." Tatsuki said. Than she mentioned something... "One question... you are from Kyoto, aren't you?"

"Why?"

"Your dialect?!"

"I am originally from a small village near Kyoto!" 'Masaru' said. "Would you please excuse me. I am really busy!"

"I'm sorry... it's just your... face and... this similarity..." Tatsuki start to cry again.

"Hmm... this guy you are looking for...or his child whoever... do you miss him? Why? What happened?" now Keigo was curious. And why he should ask a tape, when he could ask Tatsuki self...

"Aww... I made a horrible mistake in the past... and somehow I thought that I can... you know... it was a mistake... sorry... I should have never come here..." Tatsuki said and cried. Keigo found a tissue on the side-table next to the entrace and handed it to her. He never saw her cry before. Or at least he didn't remember...

"I am sure he did forgive you? Just because you slaped him, doesn't mean that he will be mad on you forever..."

"Yeah, your're right... Wait a moment... Slaped...?! Where do you know that..."

"OH... ehm... I... well..."

"One second..." Tatsuki was totally upset now. She entered again and took a closer look on 'Masaru'. Why did he know about the slap? And this expression. This expression Keigo always had when he said something wrong. Even the burn scars didn't cover it... And the sound of his voice...

"What is your date of birth?"

"Please what... how dare you. Get out of my apartment!"

"What is your date of birth?" Tatsuki asked again. This time stricter.

"September seventh, 1987! In Kyoto!" 'Masaru' answered.

"Where were you at September seventh 2015?"

„That... that was my twenty-eighth birthday... My wife was pregnant in the second month... we... we went to a nice restaurant... why do you ask?..."

"What was your wife's name?"

"Michiku! Why do you ask me these questions?"

"Why do you know about the slap?"

"Which slap?"

Slowly the situation went out of control. Keigo turned away from her. He had to find a way to convince her that he was not 'Keigo Asano'. He could show her his ID. Or his passport. He remembered how surprisingly easy it was to get new documents with the new name. He just had to hope that his little 'clanger' had no consequences. Tatsuki followed him into the living room. There she saw the cassette player on the table. Something is wrong here... really wrong. What was on the tape?

"Why you are so focused on this tape?" Tatsuki asked while Keigo was looking for his passport. When he saw that she was going to start the tape, he tried to stop her. But it was too late...

"...that it was Keigo who tried to work on our friendship most of all and that he tried to keep the group together..." Tatsuki shrieked when she heared it. That was her voice. Her own voice playing from the tape. And she remembered the day she said this words... the restaurant... the reporter... the tv-movie that was 'cancelled'...

"Sounds like Asano was more for you..." Tatsuki recognized that voice, too. So it was true... that was a recording of her conversation with that woman...

"WHERE YOU GOT THIS?" Tatsuki yelled. Slowly she start to realize everything. "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT..."

Keigo slowly realized that he was busted. His passport fell out of his hand and he lift his hands to hold them in front of him. He slowly start to transform into his former himself. The one that was always afraid of Tatsuki when she get's upset... Tatsuki mentioned it. That was one more proof...

„KEIGO?!"

Keigo didn't answer, je just breathed hard and tried to avoid eye-contact. Tatsuki looked mad. Really mad. But also incredibly shocked and totally stunned. She went a step closer. Both hands down, breathing hardly and like she doesn't get enough air... She was simply not able to believe it. But the guy, she thought that she killed him... stood now right in front of him. Alive... with a different name... with a son... in a foreign town... She remembered the days back then. All the pain and the sorrow she felt... the sorrow, his death caused... Keigo didn't know how to react. He was petrified. Completely! Unable to move... he could imagine how Tatsuki reacts... and he was right...

Keigo felt a hard fist punch into his face. Totally dizzed, he stumbled down and fell on the couch before slipping on the ground...

"YOU DAMMED BASTARD!" Tatsuki screamed full of fury and dissapointment... "I ATTEND TO YOUR FUNERAL! I MOURNED AT YOUR GRAVE..."

Keigo turned away when Tatsuki approached him again. Her fist hit the floor, because Keigo was able to get his head away on time and Keigo was able to kick her into her stomach. That kick, caused her to fell down, too...

"I KNEW THAT YOU WILL KILL ME IF I HAD CALLED ANYONE OF YOU!" Keigo screamed back. Every other person, would have noticed immediately that Keigo was right. But Tatsuki was too angry to understand. Instead she stormed towards Keigo again, grabled him by his neck and tried to silence him down. Keigo used his only free hand to slap Tatsuki as hard as possible. She was distracted briefly... because she remembered the incident in Keigo's apartment immediately... she did it again... the same mistake... and Keigo, still full of fear and panic, had to defend himself... he was able to grab something... maybe it was the delusion... it had to be the delusion... because he didn't remember what happened after that moment. He could just hear her moan...

Tatsuki was not able to react. She was too shocked and too surprised to mention it. She even didn't fell her body anymore, as it smashed next to Keigo on the wooden floor...

When Keigo opened his eyes, he looked directly into Tatsuki's. They were wide open and motionless. Her eyes, looked like they turned completely black. The something, Keigo just hold in his hand, was shattered. Keigo realized that it was the big, heavy glass bowl from the couch-table. It must have fell down during thier fight. Keigo went away from Tatsuki in fear. She didn't move anymore. And she didn't attack him anymore... slowly he realized what just happened... His hand... he had a long cut on his hand. He was bleeding. There was also a lot of blood on the shattered bowl. And there was also a lot of blood on Tatsuki's head...

Keigo lift up slowly and trembling. Blood dropped out of his hand. The sun dissappeared behind a dark cloud and the wind blowed hardly around the windows. What did he did? How did he did it? And how he dared to...?

Tatsuki meanwhile, mentioned her chain-of-fate seperating from her and she looked down on her body. Full of horror. But Keigo... Keigo was way more horrified... because he didn't understood how he dared to... even if it was just self-defense...

Keigo Asano just killed Tatsuki Arisawa... with a fruit bowl... a fruit bowl made of glass... in his living room... Keigo knew that he was definetely in a horror-movie. Or in a psycho-thriller at least. He dubbed enough of them to know it. Why else he is forced to carry out the second corpse out of his apartment... and that within two days...

He has to leave. The time has come... The time has come to take his son and flee to Russia with him... But the worst was: She is now in his apartment... if his son is really able to see ghosts, he will mention her... He ranted to her to leave his apartment, to vanish, to go to hell, anywhere but out of his apartment... And everything Tatsuki was able to do was listening. Listening to Keigo, ranting on her corpse, talking about his feelings... It was her fault. It was just her fault that Keigo was forced to wrap her body into the new blanket to get her out before his son comes home. The little boy wouldn't endure another dead person. Tatsuki listened to Keigo and she listened to her own voice, playing from the cassette player... why she didn't react to his presence like she said. Why she had to freak out again? Now the had to watch the consequenses: Keigo, wrapping her body into a blanket and carrying it into the restaurant next door... to throw it into the freezer with Ikkaku's... gosh...

While Keigo start to tidy up, his son was in school and was not able to concentrate... Suddenly he felt something. It began right in that moment his father killed Tatsuki... it continued for a while. His teacher mentioned that Kenta was 'away' but she remembered his father's words and thought it was about the 'problem' he had. But suddenly the boy stood up, walked to the window and looked outside with fear.

"Kenta, sit down again, please!" she said.

Kenta didn't respond. A strong gust suddenly let the windows rattle and a scary rumble echoed threw the room. The whole class looked on Kenta confused. Nobody seem to realize that a storm was approaching. But than another heavy gust rattled the windows again.

"Kenta?!" the teachter yelled again. "I said sit down!"

She remembered what his father told to her a few hours ago. Maybe, he was afraid of the bad weather because it remembered him the tornado. It looked really bad outside. Another gust blew some trash over the yard. Even a chair slipped over the whole yard. The janitor ran across the yard to safe everything.

Kenta felt it again. He felt this weird feeling again. The man... It was the same feeling. They are comming. They are comming to get him... The rest of the class meanwhile, was pretty amused that Kenta seemed to be afraid of a little bit wind. Some knew that he just survived a tornado and that he didn't recovered completely by now. The teacher realized that she had to interfere now to prevent a humiliating situation for Kenta...

"Looks like we get a heavy storm again. Everyone please stay calm. Kenta, please sit down again. Everything is fine."

Kenta lift his hand, put them on the window and immidiately felt that it was right outside. Something big... and something very evil... and now it approached him and his teacher.

"THEY ARE HERE!" Kenta suddenly screamed. His classmates start to laugh.

"What? Who is here?" the teacher asked while Kenta suddenly felt like he is falling again.

When Kenta turned to face her... he suddenly saw blood splatting out of her mouth, while something long and metallic shot threw the window and impaled her head... her eyes blowing up like balloons... ever and ever again saying his name... he saw her ghost... he could hear the class scream in horror... he saw her ghost again, beeing torn into pieces when something big start to eat her...

"Kenta..." she yelled. But it sound like it came from far away. "...Kenta... Kenta... wake up..."

Suddenly she turned normal again. She hold him by his shoulders and looked directly into his eyes. It was one of this visions again... The teacher was terrified. She never saw Kenta like that. But now she stood right there were the metallic something will crash threw the window...

"Kenta, what's going on!... Are you allright..."

"GET DOWN!" Kenta screamed paniced and before his teacher was able to finish her sentence and pushed her down.

The woman was totally surprised and not able to react before she fell on her back. The whole class start to bawl and to yell when thier classmate attacked thier teacher and forced her on the ground... but before someone could interfere... something long and heavy grashed threw the window...

It missed the teacher's head, hit Kenta's table and impaled it. The whole class start to scream when the window shattered and cold wind blewed threw the room. Paper, pens and broken glass flew threw the room while the children start to flee out of the room. Kenta was thrown down an land on his back, too. That was the moment he saw the janitor crashing against the window... his face and his clouthes covered with blood...

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	11. Chapter 11

While everyone fled out of the classroom, the teacher lift up and the janitor greased his blood over the windows... Kenta's father Keigo (known under the alias Masaru in this town) desperately tried to crack Tatsuki's smartphone. He had to be sure that she really didn't told anyone about her trip here...

Several kilometres away, Keigo's old friend Makoto, the news-announcer, walked alone along a small beach to clear her minds. The thought about Keigo. She thought about the Shinigami, who suddenly appeared in her apartment three days ago and forced her to book a flight up here at her own cost, to hand Keigo the audio-tapes she prepared several years ago. Once just for herself. She faked a movie-project to have a reason to talk to his former friends. She had copies. And she was sure... if something happens to Keigo or the boy, she would innitiate a new 'Kurosaki-Gate'... even if they kill her... that was the least she could do to retrieve everything...

In Karakura, Kazui and his best friend Yupa talked about thier upcomming trip to Hokkaido. As long as no one of them blurts out something wrong, everthing would be fine for them. Ichika was in thier team, too. So nothing should go wrong... during the lunch-break in School, Yupa used his smartphone to check them all in for thier flight tomorrow morning... thier bags were packed, they had all infos they needed and they had the will to help thier parents...

Kazui's mother meanwhile felt something. She freezed in fear... right in the moment, Keigo killed Tatsuki in self-defence... She could feel that something very very weird was going on. And suddenly she had the urgent need, to call Tatsuki...

Keigo just hid Tatsuki in the freezer, he already hid Ikkaku's 'corpse-gigai' and stole her smartphone. He cleaned his living-room, removed all the blood and was finally able to crack her phone to browse threw Tatsuki's chats and her messages...

Looks like she told him the truth. The Kurosaki's didn't seem to know. Just Kojima seemed to know that she is in Hokkaido right now and tried to persuade her to don't do it. According to his messages, he seemed to be somewhere in Europe. He should send him a message... to give him some time... 'You were right. He was not him. I will call you as soon as I am back.'

Mizuiro seemed to have waited for this message all the time. In Moldova it was around half past two in the night right now, but just a few seconds after his message he wrote back: 'I'm sorry! Please, call me!'

That was not good. If Tatsuki doesn't calls him, they would become suspicious. Dammed... they will never ever forgive him. He can't even forgive himself anymore.

'Okay. Till later!'

Keigo start to cry... Tatsuki was here. She is here in his apartment now... he knew it. And he knew that she is mad... Tatsuki was really here in his apartment. She tried to talk to him. She was really mad. But she was mad on herself. She wanted to tell him that it is okay, and that she regrets her outburst. But Keigo was neighter able to see nor to hear her... slowly she realized that Keigo... was not Keigo anymore...

"Tatsuki... I can't see you... I can't see ghosts anymore, so I don't know if you are still here... But please let me tell you... that I am sorry... And please leave before the boy comes home... I had a good reason to keep him away from this fu..."

Keigo's angry speech for Tatsuki was cut off by the ringing smartphone. In fear Keigo dropped it and saw that Orihime was calling...

"Aghh... Oh, no!... Orihime... Mailbox... Please let the Mailbox pick up..." Keigo begged. Tatsuki hoped that her disappearance will be mentioned soon...

Orihime was surprised when Tatsuki didn't pick up. But than she looked on the clock and realized that Tatsuki had to be at work right now. She wouldn't have the time to answer her call. She didn't know about her trip to Hokkaido. She hang off and decided to try it later again...

Keigo had to get rid off this phone. Dammed, he 'played' it so many times in 'Crime-Lab-Tokyo' and he knew that they first pin the phone of a missed person. Keigo should... no... no... he writes a message to her. It will give him more time...

'Sorry Hime! I am in a meeting... no... I am still at work. I have to work longer today... Call you... no... just 'I have to work longer today.'

Orihime recieved the message and was relieved...

'Okay, we talk later."

In Moldova, Mizuiro was way more worried. That was the reason why he couldn't sleep and why he was awake when 'she' wrote him that 'he was wright'. Something was wrong. That's why he decided to call her. But his call went directly to the Mailbox. She switched off her phone, he thought. Or the battery was empty. Mizuiro looked on his alarm-clock. It was 3 o'clock in the night. In Japan it was time for lunch. He should sleep a little bit now... But he had to think about Tatsuki all the time and her trip to Hokkaido... He was going to have several days off... he was able to afford a ticket to Japan without problems...

Most of the students of Kenta's school spend the lunch-break in the gym. Sitting silently on the ground after they were 'evacuated' to not to see the janitor and his horrible injuries. Kenta was trembling all the time. Because he felt it... he felt them... and he could hear his classmates talking about him. Everyone was surprised and confused. Of course everyone was also pretty impressed that Kenta saved thier teachers life. But everyone also wanted to know where he know from about the iron rod crashing threw the window? What did he mean when he screamed 'They are here!' Will it happen again? The school yard was full of debris. Several windows were shattered. The janitor was severly injured, but alive... and he begged to the paramedics to let him talk with Kenta before they leave...

Later had to endure the curious questions of his classmates: Where he knew about the iron pole crashing threw the window? Who he talked about when he said 'They are here'? Will it happen again? The teacher, whose life was safed just a few minutes ago, approached him and asked him to come with her. The janitor wanted to talk to him and it was urgent...

Kenta was still trembling and totally upset. They were gone... for now... but what when they come back. Was it because he stabbed one of them? They want to punish him now?... His teacher led him to the ambulance truck. Two paramedics (and it were the same, who took care of him several days ago) took care of the janitor now. His whole body was covered with deep cuts. He lost a lot of blood and had several bone fractures... But he was able to talk, and he wanted to talk to Kenta at any cost... Alone!

The teacher went several steps away. The paramedics turned away in respect to prepare the departure...

"Osaka-chan... come closer..." the injured man stuttered.

Kenta was terrified. All the blood and the wounds. Kenta came a step closer. He could feel it. Something was in the air.

"Listen... to me... I know... that... you... can see them... you can see... the Shinigami!"

Kenta became pale again. Where he know that? Who is this man? "Where do you..."

"Listen... listen closely... something... happened... the Hollows... they want you... and your... father... you have... to... trust... the Shinigami! You have... to tell your... father... that he... can't... anymore... ahh..."

The man had to endure horrible pain. The paramedics came back to give him a strong painkiller that also let him fall asleep... The teacher came back to, took Kenta by his hand and led him to the principals office. She had some questions, too...

While they went back into the building, Kenta looked after the leaving ambulance and still asked himself ever and ever again: Who is this man?

Keigo meanwhile, went back to the restaurant and to the freezer, the both corpses were hidden. He switched off Tatsuki's smartphone, took out the battery, removed his fingerprints and throw it in before he looked on the two dead bodies.

"Aw, Tatsuki... why? Why you couldn't leave us alone? I just wanted the boy to grow up in peace. I didn't want him to endure the same shit as I did. My parents always warned me of you! They really warned me of you and Ichigo... Back then, you told this woman that... you would be happy if I suddenly appear. Instead... you freaked out like I hugged Orihime without permission... and I had to..." Keigo start to cry. "Oh, Tatsuki... I am so sorry!"

"Hello!" a foreign male voice suddenly yelled.

Keigo smashed the lid of the freezer close terrified and start to scream: "THE RESTAURANT IS CLOSED!"

As fast as possible, he used the padlock again to secure the lid of the freezer and used a tissue to clean his face. When he turned around, he could see that there was a man standing in the restaurant. He walked around the counter and approached the storage-room.

"Excuse me! Are you Osaka-san? Itami-san told me that you have the keys! I knocked on your door upstairs but there was nobody."

Keigo remembered Keiko's words. This had to be the man she told him about. He totally forgot him.

Keigo pulled his shirt straight, used the tissue to clean his face again and went to the door.

"Good day! Sorry that I screamed. But you scared me with your sudden appearance!" Keigo said innoncently and smiled. But the man was shocked when he saw Keigo's face.

"Oh, my gosh? Did you got mugged?"

"What?... Oh,... you mean..." Keigo remembered Tatsuki's fist that just hit his face and left a swollen cheek and a blue eye. "No... no... I'm fine. I was just clumsy and fell down. Itami told me that you come today..."

Keigo played the 'innocent'. Showing the man around in the restaurant and explained him everything necessary and that the inventory is included.

"Everything... instead of the freezer!" Keigo explained.

"What's wrong with it? It's running?"

"Yeah... but it doesn't freezes properly anymore!" Keigo lied. "But, I will take care of it..."

While Keigo decided to bury the freezer and it's content in the forest, the school tried to contact him. But he neighter picked up the landline-phone, nor his smartphone...

"He doesn't pick up!" the principal said and hang off to focus on Kenta again, who was sitting in her office right in front of her. The teacher, he just safed, the guidance counselor and a policeman were in the office, too. All of them wanted answers. "Okay... We are not here to reproach you, or to blame you for something. No you safed Edoma-sensei's life which is very commendable. But we are pretty confused about... the fact that we don't know how you could know that this iron pole will crash threw the window?"

Kenta start to tremble again. Everyone realized that he was not okay. He was afraid of something. "I... I saw... the pole... how it..."

"You saw the pole aproaching?" the policeman asked calmly.

Kenta shaked his head. "No... I saw the... pole... hitting Edoma-sensei's head..."

Everyone looked on the boy in shock. That was unbelivable. Kenta didn't believe it as well. He couldn't...

"Ehm... and the people? Prior before it happened you said: 'They are here!' Do you remember?" the teacher asked. Kenta nooded. "What did you mean? Who is here?"

"The janitor said, they are called 'Hollows'..." Kenta explained. "But... I think they are Shinigami!"

This statement shocked the people much more. They hoped that the boy had just some kind of shock. Because it sound more like he was crazy.

"I try to reach his father again!" the principal said and took the phone again. "You said your father is at home? He does not pick up? Are you sure that he is not at work?"

"He works at home!" Kenta replied.

The principal looked on the policeman who convinced her to try again.

After maybe 30 minutes, Keigo was finally able to convince the man to leave to get back in his apartment. Before he leaves for Russia, he had to get rid of that freezer. And he knew how. He would tell Keiko that the freezer had a short circuit when he pluged it to demonstrate it. And that he 'knows someone' who can dispose it for free. She will be happy to get rid off it and Keigo would get rid of the two corpses. And he knew the perfect person to help him. He had to talk to her anyway...

Keigo went back to his apartment, locked the door and took the landline-phone to call the number he got from Makoto.

Later was walking on the beach and tried to calm down. Suddenly her private phone start to ring. The number was unknown... "Hello..."

"Makoto-chan! This is Masaru Osaka!" Keigo said. "You said I can call you anytime if I need someone to talk!"

"Oh, of course... so what's up!"

"Can we meet! Now!"

"Sure! Where?"

"You know where I live! And..." Keigo stopped talking when he heared his smartphone ringing. "Hang on!... Hello!... What? Oh my gosh... Yes... No... Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes!... Makoto,... are you still there..."

"Yes!"

"Little change! Come to my son's school..."

"Your son's school?"

"Yes... you will help me to tidy up the mess there. And there you will explain me why so many weird things happen since you are here." Keigo said and hang off withouth saying goodbye. He left the apartment to run to the school...

In Karakura Ichigo mentioned that Orihime didn't feel well..

"Something wrong? You look so... shocked?" Ichigo asked.

"Hmm, I am not sure!" Orihime murmured. "I have this weird feeling... I had to think about Tatsuki and suddenly I had this weird feeling. Like... I don't know how to explain it. I tried to call her but she is at work and... Nevetheless... I feel like something happened..."

"I think if really something terrible happened, she would have already called!" Ichigo said to calm her down.

"Hmm... Yeah, you are right!" Orihime said. Just a few seconds later the main entrace to the clinic opened and Ichika entered in Gigai.

"Hello!"

"Oh, hello Ichika-chan!" Orihime said now with a better mood. She remembered that Ichika joined the boys to thier trip to Hokkaido tomorrow and spends the night in thier house...

Keigo meanwhile arrived at the school, stormed into the principal's office and hugged his son. He was so relieved that he was unharmed. And the others were happy that he finally arrived to deliver them some answers.

"Are you okay?" Keigo asked scared. The boy just nooded. "What happened?"

"Osaka-san, please take a seat!" the principal said.

Keigo realized that they were in trouble. Not only because of the Shinigami. Now... they were really really deep in the poop.

Various minds shoot threw his head while he sat down. He cursed everything in his past and everyone he once knew... everyone who ever hurt him. Everything what was responsible for his fall in his old life and what was the reason for him to be here now... Nervously, he looked on his watch. He hoped that Makoto will arrive soon.

"Osaka-san, you already know why we wanted you to come here!" the principal said with a calm voice. "Did... Did someone beat you?"

"My son has nothing to do with it!" Keigo decided to act dumb and ignored her question to change the topic. "He didn't shatter the window! He is not able to!"

"No! It is not about the window! We know that your son didn't break it. But you didn't answer my question." the principal respond before she send the guidance counselor with Kenta away to wait in the other room. As soon as they were gone she continued. "I see that someone beat you into the face!"

"Nobody beat me!" Keigo moaned and went with his hand threw his hair to look not that messy. He realized that the swelling in his face was bigger than before. In the past, Tatsuki didn't hit him that strong, but now... Dammed. "No, I can explain. You know, that friend of me runs a little restaurant next door. She wants to sell it. The new owner showed up today and surprised me when I was in the storage to tidy up. He scared me so much that I crashed against a shelv... you can ask him... he was there."

It was a plausible and belivable story. Everyone seemed to believe it.

"So, why do you want to talk to me?"

"It's about your son. Today, he safed Edoma-san's life!" the principal said highly praised.

"Really,... but, that is wonderful..." Keigo said with a smile. "My son is a hero..."

"Hmm, that's right. But... something is not right with it... Fact is that your son... just told us about some kind of... how do I explain it... he told us about some kind of 'vision'."

"Vision?!" now Keigo was really worried.

"Yes, long before that iron pole crashed threw the window, your son stood up, glared outside in fear and than he said: 'They are here!'..." the teacher explained.

"Who?"

"I hoped that you can explain us!" the principal said. "You know... Osaka-san, everyone is talking about you. People are discussing about you. Nothing against you or your son, but... sometimes we think that something is not okay with you."

"What do you want to tell me?" Keigo became more and more nervous.

"Well... let's start with the fact that you almost never leave the house..."

"I work in the home-office!" Keigo respond. "There is nothing wrong about it?"

"You never attend to the parent-meetings!"

"Kenta had a terrible cold last time. I couldn't leave him alone."

"You always have an excuse for absolutely everything!" this time Keigo had no excuse. "You are living here for how long? 8 years? Hearing your dialect let everyone think that you arrived yesterday from Kyoto."

Slowly Keigo realized that he exaggareted a little bit with the dialect. Kenta was way better integrated here...

"Is there something in your life that... worries you. Are you afraid of something? Or is something with your son?"

Keigo knew at least a million reasons. Maybe more. And every reason wore a sword and a black kimono: "No! No, sorry!"

"To be honest, we believe that you don't tell us the full truth, Osaka-san. You hide something! Something... terrible!" the principal explained. "Your son is talking about... 'visions'. He is so pale, he looks like he saw a ghost. It's obvious that something is not right..."

"Are you telling me that you believe that I... oh my gosh... how dare you to believe that I could harm my son..."

"Someone else... Or... is it maybe about you... Who did that?" the principal asked. She had a theory. A really horrible one. And the injuries of the man just confirmed her assumptions.

"This..." Keigo said and pointed on his injury in his face. "... was my clumsiness! I already told you that I crashed agains a cabinet..."

"You told it was a shelv!" the principal said. Keigo bit on his tongue.

"I mean shelv... Sorry... I am... ehm..." Keigo looked on his watch again. Makoto, where are you...

Someone knocked on the door. She finally arrived.

"Yes, please!" the principal said and everyone, instead of Keigo, was totally perplexed when the well known news-announcer entered her office. "Oh my gosh... you... you are..."

Keigo was relieved when he saw Makoto. She had this self confident expression in her face, and that was really helpful now. And it was obvious that everyone knew her, so she was the perfect distraction.

"Good afternoon! I hope I don't disturb you. But I got a call. You wanted me to come Masaru-kun..."

"Oh yeah, thank you for comming Makoto-chan... Sorry, that I had to cancel our lunch... but you don't have join me here..." Keigo lied. But in truth he needed her to distract hem...

It was true that the principal, as well as everyone else were big fans of Makoto. Makoto was not privy and they didn't arranged anything. But she was perfect in helping him to keep his lie alive. She told that she was in Hokkaido for a investigative story and wanted to visit her old friend at the same time... It was just a drop in the ocean. They will be in Russia anyway soon... but during thier conversation in the office, Keigo got an idea. Maybe she can help him to stay. He didn't want to get chased away by the Kurosaki's again...

A few minutes later, everything was arranged. The students return to thier classes. Kenta and his classmates would spend the rest of the day in another room. But it was obvious that he will have questions. And tonight he won't be able to avoid confessing him some things he hoped he never ever have to think about. Keigo arranged some appointments for a meeting with the guidance counselor and the principal for the next week and said goodbye to his son. Promising him to talk after school and begging him to calm down as long as he is here. But what about Russia now? Thier getaway? Did he have enough Roubles at home? And if yes, how much they are worth? But first of all Makoto will answer him some questions and help her solve another problem...

Together they went to her car. Keigo was satified. The freezer would fit in, he thought... Both entered the car, closed the doors and Keigo was able to freak out.

"I am..."

"Makoto... shut up! You don't say anything now. Now you listen to me!" Makoto was scared. She never ever saw Keigo that mad. "I have several questions and I expect some answers from you while we dispose the freezer!"

"Ehm... okay... Which freezer?"

"Later on that!" Keigo moaned and ordered her to drive. "So let's talk a little bit..."

Makoto started the motor and left the area as soon as possible. Keigo didn't want the people to see them together.

Keigo told her about all the 'weird' incidents that occured in the last week and that he believes that it is somehow conected with her sudden appearance here. Makoto was terrified. Because it was some kind of true. She start to sweat and she spasmed when they stopped on a red light.

"So, what can you tell me about it?" Keigo asked harshly.

Makoto wanted to tell him the truth. But she was afraid that Keigo would kill himself immediately or her. She wanted to tell him about the Shinigami, who suddenly appeared and forced her to visit him. She wanted to tell him the truth about the tapes. She wanted to tell him why they really 'catch up' the interview. But she couldn't. Everything she could do was nooding and looking confused.

Keigo moaned mad. "But somewhere... Superhero?"

"I don't know what... which superhero?"

"The German!"

"A German superhero? What do you mean?" Makoto mentioned that Keigo looked on something outside. She turned around to see that he was watching the movie poster for the movie Keigo and Kenta watched several days ago.

"It started here!" Keigo murmured, opened his seatbelt and left the car to take a closer look on the poster.

"What? What started here?"

Keigo pointed on the movie poster. "Kenta wanted to watch this movie urgently. He... stood here... I was there and watched the travel-offers... Kenta, didn't focused on the movie poster as always... he turned around to look on a taxi."

"Who was in the taxi?"

"I don't know, I didn't see it! But, suddenly I am pretty sure... it had to have a Shinigami?"

"Why?"

"This is the only plausible explanation why he is suddenly able to see them. They are... contagious! They are as contagious as Pest, Cholera or Corona! Believe me, Corona is way... way better than a Shinigami!" Keigo moaned while he entered the car again to drive on.

When they left, Keigo looked on the movie poster again. The superhero on it was everything Keigo once wanted to be and what every child honestly want to become: Big, muscular, handsome, strong, heroic and loved by everyone. Keigo was nothing of that. He was the contrary. Now he had the feeling that the superhero on the poster doesn't look on him proudly. Instead it looked like he is mocking him... that hurt...

Keigo ordered her to stop in front of the restaurant and led her inside. Slowly Makoto became nervous.

"I have to agree... that I don't believe you any word, Makoto. And I don't believe any word I heard on this stupid tapes."

"Did you listen them?"

"So far... just one! Tatsuki Arisawa's one!" Keigo explained. "How dare you to believe that they really miss me?"

"I don't understand the question?"

"Tatsuki tried to kill me today!" Keigo explode mad. "Five seconds, after I heared on the tape that she would be 'so happy' if I suddenly 'appear' again... And you are telling me, that they miss me? What happens when I listen to the other tapes? Will they suddenly appear, too?"

Makoto became pale again. She was terrified. The Shinigami broke thier promise. "A... Arisawa was here? Where is she now?"

"She is somewhere!" Keigo murmured while he opened the padlock of the freezer. "Her soul at least. I think so, despite I ordered her to leave, I can't see ghosts anymore... and... she is also right here..."

When Keigo opened the freezer to show Makoto it's content, she let out a loud and horrified scream...

Please Review.


	12. Chapter 12

There was a huge agitation in the Soul Society. The eleventh division finally realized that Ikkaku Madarame was gone for days now. And in the department for humans with spiritual awareness, one bad information followed the next...

The incident in Kenta's school and the terrible injuries of thier informant... Something was going on in Hokkaido. And it began with Ichigo Kurosaki's brief eye-contact with Kenta Osaka. It start a stone rolling that slowly turned into a landslide. And all that, just because Keigo Asano decided to die back than and to leave his old life behind... They all knew that soon the day comes, they have to drop the bomb...

A Shinigami stormed into the office...

“I just talked to our informant. He is in Shari in the hospital. He will make it, but he told the boy to convince his father to contact us and to trust us.“

“He did what?“

“The boy didn't understand!“

“Well, how should he?“

Another Shinigami stormed inside...

“We found Madarame! But you won't believe it...“

“What happened?“

“He is in the Rukongai. He appeared in the 75th district... like a soul that arrives by a Konzo. He has no clue how he got there. The last thing he remembers is that he was in Asano's apartment and had a fight with the boy... And that, he is telling everywhere.“

“You mean...“

“I mean, that the half Seireitei knows now that the boy excists. Asano ist still a secret so far, but it is just a matter of time before everyone figures out that, too...“

In Karakura, Kazui and Yupa were on the way home. Ichika was already in the Kurosaki-house. Tomorrow they would take the very first train to Narita Airport. When they reached thier crossroad thier ways seperated...

“Okay, if your parents ask you...“ Yupa start and looked on Kazui with wide opened eyes.

“6:30 am tomorrow morning, to Sapporo!“ Kazui said instantly. But in truth, they would take the 7:15 am flight to Memanbetsu, which was closer to the town they would visit.

It was a well combined net of lies, excuses and explanations. Of course they would tell at least Kazui's parents the truth later. But that after they are really sure about the boys identity. So the two boys went on on thier ways...

In Hokkaido, Makoto screamed for a few seconds. Her scream was loud, penetrating and thrilling. At least half of the town was able to hear it. When she ran out of air, she stumbled backwards and had to hold herself on a shelv to not to fall down. 

“OH MY GOD! THERE ARE TWO DEAD PEOPLE IN THERE!“

Keigo grabled her by her mouth to silence her down.

“SHHHHH... BE QUIET!“ he screamed before he realized that he was a little bit to loud now, too. He continued in a normal volume. “Do you want the whole island to hear you?“

“But... if... that... what did you did?“ she asked horrified.

Keigo told her what happened. How Tatsuki suddenly appeared, how he was able to send her away, how she suddenly came back and how she suddenly recognized him and tried to beat him to death, but he was able to grab the fruitbowl and defend himself. He he even presented her the shards of the bowl which were in the freezer, too... And now she had to answer him some questions...

“ME?!“ she screamed shocked. “Wha... What do I have to do with it?“

“Did you... or did you not... lured her to me?“ Keigo asked mad.

“I would never dare to do that...“ Makoto screamed and she start to explain why she really let her colleagues interview his friends...

She was really suspicious. She figured everything out by herself and remembered Kurosaki-Gate. And she confessed to him that she was able to see ghosts since that incident in prison.

“Please, what?“

“First I thought that it will vanish one day... but you once told me that it is some kind of 'contagious'. At least, you could have told me that it is chronic and that you never get rid of it?“

“I got rid of it!“

“And how?“

“I don't know how? After... I fell into the river and float away after the crash... it stopped. And I also don't feel anything anymore. But... several days ago... when this... 'tornado' blew over the town... I suddenly felt something again... something I hoped to never ever feel again... And than first you... and than Tatsuki appears...“

“What... do you expect from me, now?“ Makoto asked still terrified. “Please, don't tell me that I shall help you to bury that freezer?“

“Exactly!“ Keigo moaned and throw a map into her hands. “We're going to...“

“No! No way!“ Makoto yelled and throw the map on the ground. “I don't want to do that!“

“I DON'T WANT TO DO IT, TOO!“ Keigo scremaed angrily before he breaked down and fell on his knees with tears in his eyes. “I don't want to do it, too!“

Keigo didn't want to pull Makoto into that mess. He didn't want to bury a hole in the forest to hide a freezer with two dead bodies inside. He didn't want to pull his son out of his life to live a hermit life somewhere in the Russian wilderness. All that, he told to Makoto with tears in his eyes.   
Mizuiro meanwhile start to be really really worried. After Tatsuki's weird message, she switched of her phone and now she neighter answered his calls nor his messages... He wanted to call Orihime to tell her everything... he he was not able to do it. He would betray Tatsuki. Instead he took his tablet to look for the next flight...

Keigo breaked down. He knew that it was over. Makoto went closer to give him a hug. She wanted to comfort him. She felt really guilty for his trouble. But she also felt betrayed by the Shinigami and the Kurosaki-Clan. She remembered everything. Really everything. And that's why she understood why Keigo endured so much to 'detach' from the Kurosaki's... and that was the reason for her to accept to help him.

But not today. Kenta would be home soon. Normally he would go to the baseball-training or some other school-activity. But today they arranged that he comes home right after the last lesson. He had to be there for him now. Makoto meanwhile was told to look for a good place for the 'grave'...

In the Soul Society, the situation went more and more difficult... Ikkaku Madarame appeared in the department for humans with spirituall awareness and made a scene. He ordered that 'Asano's child' has to be arrested immediately. He was mad, because he felt humiliated and weakened. A Shinigami from the department was immediately send to talk to Makoto and ask for her help...

Keigo found two rolls of duct-tape and some plastic cord in the storeroom. He used them to seal the freezer and to secure it. Makoto left the restaurant distraught and tried to understand what just happened.: She just accept to help Keigo to dispose two corpses... Corpses!

She entered her car and watched Keigo locking up the restaurant and walking back to his apartment. Makoto was just about to start the car when she realized that someone suddenly appeared on the back-seat out of nothing.

“Hirabata-san...“

Makoto screamed and slaped the Shinigami as strong as possible... The Shinigami react with a 'tie-up-kidou' and a 'mute-off-kidou'. Unlike Keigo back then, Makoto was not immune against Kidou now...

“Hirabata-san... please don't be mad, or upset whatever. We just have a question. Please, you have to tell us what happened. I promise to you that neighter you nor Asano will be punished. I swear!“

After this words, he released her from the 'mute-off-kidou' to let her talk. But she turned away mad to scream for help. The Shinigami tried to use it with a 'truth-kidou' to force her to tell him what happened. After that she told him about the two bodies in the freezer and Keigo's plan to flee to Russia... The shocked Shinigami released her from the Kidous and erased her memories of the last two minutes before he left to report everything. Makoto didn't remember that she just busted Keigo. But she remembered that she had to bury a hole somewhere...

Keigo tidied up and cleaned his living-room again before he prepared diner and continued to bawl out Tatsuki. Despite the fact that he couldn't see her, she was still in his apartment. She wished to vanish. She didn't want the boy to see her, too. Kenta will arrive soon, and he will definetely see her... While she listened to Keigo, telling her the story of his life and about his feelings, she felt a Shinigami approaching. Suddenly there was one right next to her...

“Arisawa... You come with me!“ he said and 'konzoed' her before she could say something. Keigo didn't mentioned it... but suddenly he felt much better and the atmosphere in his apartment felt much 'cleaner' than before. It hit him like a wave of relieve. But it felt great. Looks like she listened to him and left for the other side... 

By afternoon, the rumor that 'Asano's son' 'killed' and 'konzoed' Ikkaku reached the Abarai's, during diner with the rest of the Kuchiki-Clan. Rukia and Renji stormed to the department immediately to get some answers.

“We would really like to answer you, but unfortunately we don't know what happened there, too!“ one of the Shinigami explained. In truth, they knew the truth: Madarame went to Asano's aparment without permission, made a scene, scared the boy and he defend himself in fear. In that process, some of the boys abilities were activated...“

“You lie to me. I see it...“ Rukia said mad. “I am the captain of the 13th division and I have the right to know the truth...“

The present Shinigami looked on each other and gave up...

“Please, not here... come to the back...“

In Karakura neighter the Kurosaki's nor Ichika knew about the raising agitation in the Soul Society. Curiously, Orihime asked her son how excited he was about the big match tomorrow. Kazui smiled innoncently and said that he is 'really excited'. Ichika was told to just to say that she only wants to 'try out' an airplane. Kazui's friend Yupa meanwhile was in his room to hide every evidence for thier lies, while he printed the boarding-passes for tomorrow. He realized that they had no assigned seats... the flight was overbooked...

A few minutes after the Shinigami got Tatsuki out of the apartment, Kenta arrived home. His best friends Rin and Taro accompained him after they saw that he was not feeling well. Keigo thanked them and invited them to go to the soccer-field with Kenta tomorrow. So Kenta will be busy, while he and Makoto bury the freezer. As soon as they were gone, Keigo turned to his son and hugged him while he apologized.

He apologized for everything what happened. He apologized for all the cruel things he had to see and for all the weird things that happened.

“Why?“

“Because... there is something... I didn't tell you...“ Keigo said and led Kenta to the living-room. “My boy... can you... see a woman here in this room right now?“

„No!“ Kenta said slightly worried. “Why?“

“Are you sure?“

“Yes!“

“Good! Kenta... take a seat. There is something we have to talk about...“

They talked in the Soul Society, too...

“So... he is really a Fullbring?“ Rukia asked shocked. “And Ichigo accidentally activated his powers?!“

“Wow... I didn't expect that? Are his powers dangerous?“ Renji asked.

“Maybe! At least tomorrow we will know more...“ the Shinigami said. They sucessfully avoid to tell that it is really Keigo and his son. 

“Does, the boy know who he is? That he has a Fullbring? Or his father?“

“We still prepare everything for the 'enlightement'! It would be really great if you don't tell anything to the Kurosaki's for now. We will do it by ourself after we talked with the boy.“

They really prepared a so called 'enlightement'. A special process, introduced after the Kurosaki-Gate to clarify and warn Fullbrings and humans who were able to see Shinigami. It was introduced to keep sure that Kurosaki-Gate never happens again. Keigo was about to clarify some things to his son, too...

“So... I can see ghosts?“ the boy asked perplexed.

“Yeah... looks like!“ Keigo said, while he tried to remain calm. He had to remain calm, for his son.

“And... you can see them, too?“

“No!“ Keigo answered. That was the moment he realized that he 'missed' this awful 'gift'. “No, not anymore!“

“So it... will vanish someday?“

“Yes, it should... Kenta, it is really important what I tell you now. Don't tell anyone! Understand? Never ever tell anyone that you can see ghosts. To nobody! Not even Rin or Taro, okay?“

“Why?“

“Because... It will make everything more difficult... it just worsenes everything. That's our little secret now, okay?“ Keigo said as calm as possible. Little secret, was more than understated for all this crap.

“Okay!“ Kenta said. He would need some time to understand it. “But... what about the ghost from the movie?“

“Who? Who are you talking about?“

“Well... the one with the black Kimono?“

Keigo avoid a loud scream and he tried to not to cry. He never ever expected that they have to talk about this matter someday...

“You mean... like the one... the boy in this movie turns into?“ Keigo asked. Kenta nooded. That dammed studio, he thought. Why the Soul Society didn't prevent it? “Listen to me... There are... three diferent kinds of ghosts...“

In truth, they were way more. But Keigo didn't know about more. He never ever got an 'enlightement'...

“...first... there are the normal... ghosts. The good ghosts. That are the spirits of the dead people who... wander around after they died and before they leave. Than... there are these black things... who look like animals wearing white masks. That are evil ghosts... they... scare others and eat other ghosts... And there are the... the Shinigami! That are the ghosts... wearing the black Kimonos and swords.“

“And what they do?“

Keigo knew a million things like... they invade your life, pull you in trouble, beat you up if you don't give them shelter and many other bad things. But he didn't want to scare his son. “They are... the worst of all. You absolutely have to be careful. Never ever show them that you are able to see them! For nothing in the world! They are not allowed to know that you can see them!“

“What else?“

“If they know that you can see them... you never ever get rid of them... it never stops and they turn your life to hell...“

Keigo and his son talked together for hours and hours. But it worked. Kenta as well as his father calmed down soon and they would sleep pretty good tonight. But just to be careful, Kenta asked his father to sleep with him tonight, one more time...

Makoto wanted to flee. In her hotel-room she packed up everything to flee back to Tokyo as soon as possible. But two Shinigami appeared in her room again and stopped her. They told her that Arisawa's soul is 'in Soul Society now' and that they take care of everything. Even showing her a place on the map, she has to drive to tomorrow. They also begged her to convince Keigo to stay in Japan. Everything will be fine, they said. But Makoto was so upset that she couldn't sleep the whole night. Instead, she decided to do some research on the janitor Keigo mentioned and about the child Kenta saw turning into a hollow... Meanwhile, the two other Shinigami start to dig a big hole in the forest. Someone told them that the Seireitei, needs to hide there something and that it is a 'secret-mission'. Both didn't ask and just did as ordered... they had no clue that they were turned to accomplices...

The next morning, was a very important morning for everyone...

Orihime brought Kazui, Ichika and Yupa to the train-station. Annoyed by his mother's obtrusiveness, Kazui was glad that she just brought them to the train-station and not followed them into the plane...

“Mom... You freak out like I am going to move to the other end of the world... It is just for a day. Tomorrow morning we are back...“

“I know... But... just let your mother one time more...“

“We make it up later... we have to catch a train...“ Kazui moaned and went away before his mother could give him an embarrassing goodbye-kiss. Yupa and Ichika already had these gloating expressions when they left the car and went into the station. As soon as they sat in the train... Yupa told them about the current status of thier flight...

Keigo and his son had breakfast together. It was a beautiful and sunny saturday-morning. A perfect day for some activities outside. They didn't talk about the Shinigami, about ghosts or anything like them. They talked about watching the big match in TV tonight. And they talked about the soccer-match between the local-middle-school and the middle-school from the neigbouring town today on the soccer-field. Kenta and his friends would go there. Keigo handed him some money, for snacks and drinks...

“And you?“

“I can't go there... I have to... finish something really important in the restaurant down there...“ Keigo told him. And it was true: He had to find a way for them to stay here...

While Kenta was in the bathroom, Keigo called Makoto to get her here. Makoto start to cry again after the call... She felt that something terrible will happen...

In the Gate-area of Narita Airport, Kazui, Ichika and Yupa sat together near the gate of thier flight and were forced to wait. The flight was overbooked and so far they had to wait for someone else to not appear and get a seat. They expected the flight to be full, because the match of the year was going to take place tonight up there and many people wanted to go there. But they had no clue that it would be so bad.

“So, what is Stand-By meaning, again?“ Ichika asked impatient. She had no clue about airports, airplanes and many other typical 'human-things'. So she didn't understand why they had to wait longer than anyone else.

Kazui moaned unsatisfied and explained it to her again: “It means, that the airline, that is the company who owns the plane, has sold more tickets than the plane has seats. And because bought our tickets so late, and didn't reserve any seats we have to wait for someone else to not appear and to get his seat.“

“Why they sell more tickets than the plane has seats?“ Ichika asked again.

“That you have to ask the lady from the airline there on the boarding-desk.“ Yupa explained. He didn't finish his sentence, when Ichika grabled the self-printed boarding-passes and went to the desk.

Couriously, the two friends watched the young Shinigami for several minutes. Talking with the woman at the desk. They were nervous. Ichika was known to be kind of impulsive, so they were afraid that she could use some Kidou on her. But... Ichika had also absolutely no clue about travelling in the world of the living. And so they could see that she said something to the woman that let the woman from the airline smile happily. Both could see that Ichika got new boarding-passes and some other documents. She came back with a bright smile in her face.

“Hey, Stand-By is great. The woman gave me money!“

“What did you did?“ Kazui asked nervously and looked on the new boarding-passes. “Aww... you... you... dimwit!“

“What did you tell me?“ Ichika didn't like it when someone called her a dimwit and was about to make a scene. But Yupa also mentioned that Ichika just ruined thier plans...

“Oh, no... That are vouchers. You just throw us out of the plane...“ Yupa moaned and saw that Ichika got three restaurant-vouchers and a 'crossed check' about 20.000 Yen. Not bad at all but pretty bad for thier plans.

“What?“

“Ichika... this boarding-passes are for the next flight in three and a half hours... You voluntarily withdraw from the flight and because of you we won't fly...“

Slowly Ichika start to realize that she just made a mistake and that it was a stupid idea to 'just accept the compensation'. She didn't really speak 'humanworldian' but next time she should listen better...

And so, the flight to Memanbetsu left without them. Filled completely till the last seat... They had no clue...

When the plane departed in Tokyo, Keigo and Makoto departed from the restaurant, too. Kenta was already on the way to the soccer-field with his friends and Keigo hoped that no other Hollow or Shinigami will appear. He really wanted to stay. Kenta had friends, the school... his life was here in this town. Keigo never integrated or adjust. Like Makoto said, he hid in his apartment and locked in himself. He became a 'Hikkikomori', despite the fact that he never wanted to be one. As soon as they get rid of that freezer, he will try to adjust. Keigo Asano was dead... it was time to be Masaru Osaka... for his son...

Togehter they drove for around one hour, until they reached the forest near Konan. They could see Mount Shari not far away. On one side were the dense forests of the mountains, on the other side were wide areas with paddy fields and acres. They couls see douzens of people working on the fields and harvest rice and vegetables. Keigo ordered Makoto to switch of the headlights and to drive slower when they reached the narrow forest path. Makoto was afraid... she was afraid that they will run into a trap or something else. That the Shinigami pop up out of nowhere and catch them... but instead of a whole troop of Shinigami, they found a big, carefully prepared hole...

“Wow! Makoto stop...“ Keigo said. “There is it, we make it here...“

The plane, Kazui, Ichika and Yupa were supposed to be in, was on it's way to north. A normal and eventless flight...

Keigo and Makoto looked on the hole and Keigo was impressed. “Respect... you were pretty diligent... Did someone help you?“

“No! I don't know who digged it... The Shinigami, maybe?“ Makoto knew that only the Shinigami could have did it. But why? Why the Shinigami helped Keigo to remain undercover? It made no sense. What is going on here?

“Not funny, Makoto!“ Keigo moaned mad and opened the trunk.

The freezer, which was carefully sealed with a lot of duct tape and that was pressed into the car with difficulty, had to dissappear in that hole now...

The plane passed the east coast of Hoshu, flew over the ocean and reached the south-east of Hokkaido. There the pilots began with the descent. Both pilots could already see Mount Shari. Near the mountain, Keigo and Makoto pulled the freezer out of the trunk.

“Keigo... I think we should say something. At least some final words. If we have to fulfill a funeral here it is the least we can do!“

Keigo was surprised. But she was right...

With a loud rumble, the freezer fell into the hole with the top down. Both could clearly hear the still frozen bodys inside crashing against each other. Keigo, as well as Makoto were both disgusted by that what they did here. But it had to be. Keigo had to protect his son...

“So...“ Keigo decided to hold the 'speech'. “... we came here together today... to say goodbye to two people who... were pretty similiar... and... in this world... would had matched perfectly together.“ Keigo realized that it was difficult. “... We say goodbye to a strong, self-confident young woman and a strong man, I don't really know much about just that his beats hurt as much as hers did. I will never ever see one of them, because I will go to hell after my death...“

Makoto was pretty distraught by Keigo's speech.

“...I will never ever be able to forgive me for what I did to her. I hope Tatsuki can. I don't expect her to do so but I hope so. If you can hear me now Tatsuki, I would really appreciate if you don't tell any Shinigami that I am still alive. They hate me till today...“

Makoto wanted to interfere. She heared the Shinigami's version of the story and knew that it was not true. But suddenly she heared something...

“Keigo... I think there is someone?!“

“What? Oh, no... hurry! We have to fill the hole again before someone sees the freezer...“

The Hollow, Makoto heared, flew over the forest. Super fast, he dived into the forest, searching for a Soul... He could feel a soul... It was 'contained' but he could feel it. A very strong soul... Very, very strong...

“May I ask you... what makes you so sure that the Shinigami want to kill you? You... and your son, didn't did anything! Your sister send us that package back then.“

Keigo freezed and almost dropped his shovel when he heared it. “Please what?“

“Keigo, listen... it is so that...“ Makoto was just about to confess everything when suddenly a loud bawl echoed threw the forest. “What was that?“

“Don't change the topic. What did you mean when you said that my sister...“ another much louder bawl, even Keigo was able to hear, cut him off. “... Oh... NO! Please... No! No, I am not able to see them anymore... Why?... Why?...“

Keigo knew this sound... It was a Hollow...

The plane flew over the Mashu-Lake, made a turn to the right to fly in a wide curve over the pacific to approach Memanbetsu from the North... Outside the passengers could see the cloudless sky, the mountains and the dense forests...

Keigo realized the Hollow getting closer. But why he was suddenly able to feel them again. And why they attack him again? Is he attracting them again? But it was not the time to think about it. Keigo lift up the shovel to defend himself again if necessary. 

“Shouldn't we leave? It's better than whatever you plan to do with a shovel?“ Makoto asked just seconds before a big black something jumped out of the bushes and attacked them...

Makoto screamed... Keigo screamed much louder when he hit with the shovel after the Hollow... The Hollow bawled again, when he was hit by the shovel and crashed against a tree. The tree was overturned, and crashed on the just filled hole...

“GO AWAY MONSTER!“ Keigo screamed when he used the shovel again to beat the Hollow. 

The Hollow was surprised, he didn't expect the Soul defending himself. But he was too weak now to continue, so he jumped into the air like a rocket and wanished towards South...

While Keigo and Makoto start to scream on each other, the weakened Hollow flew away, full of pain and much hungrier than before... He felt some other souls... Weak but still souls... So he attacked the plane, grashed against the fuselage and teared a big hole into the passenger-cabin... on the right-side between the third and the forth row...

A loud bang, a shockwave blowing threw the cabin and flying debris let everyone on board scream in panic, while the pilots start to loose control and the plane went into a nosedive... a flight-attendant was sucked out threw the hole...

“Oh my god, that was a Hollow!“ Makoto screamed.

“Yeah...“ Keigo said and breathed hardly. “Luckily... just a small one... I have seen way bigger ones...“

“But, where it came from?“

“I would like to know more about where you know about that thing? And why I am suddenly able to see them again...?“ Keigo said and became louder and louder...

All 189 passengers and 6 crew-members of the plane will die. They were all doomed. Some of them were already dead, because of the explosive decompression or because they were fataly hurt by flying debris. A seat-row with 3 passengers was torn out of it's bracket and was sucked out threw the big hole... the right wing and the engine were on fire...

Keigo and Makoto fight so loud, that they heared the approaching plane just very late. The loud thunder of the engines let the ground tremble. Keigo thought that the Hollow is attacking them again, or that another one is comming... but than he looked up into the sky and saw a buring plane heading towards them...

Somehow, the pilots were able to get at least a little bit control of the plane back. But they wouldn't reach the airport anymore... They had structural damage... no hydraulic anymore... no control... But they saw the long and straight road conecting Kiyosato with the forest... but even that they won't reach anymore... the paddy fields at least...

Keigo and Makoto ran away when the plane cut off the tops of the trees right over them and branches and other stuff rained down on them. Both ran back to the car and even left the shovels behind. But Makoto, was a full-blood reporter and took her smartphone to film the tumbling plane that was about to crash into the paddy fields between Kiyosato and Konan... 

The pilot's desperate attempt to slow down the impact and to land on the long straing road, would fail. Both pilots died during the first impact, when the jet crashed with extended landing-gear on the muddy paddy field and the right wing was torn off. In horror, Keigo and Makoto had to see the plane making some kind of jump from the ground, flew around two metres over ground and making a U-turn while crashing on the next paddy field and breaking apart...

The most passengers died during the second impact or became unconscious. The rear part of the plane, break apart one more time. Thousands of litres of kerosene, originally supporsed for the return flight to Tokyo, were spilled over the field. The field-workers barely escaped from the crash-site, but luckily everyone was able to escape on time while the plane sliped over the field with a loud noise. The front of the plane was stopped abruptly, while the rear part of the plane continued and crashed into the front. The left wing, still filled with kerosene, cut threw the front part like a knife. It was a huge and terrifiying noise, followed by the loud screams of the eye-witnesses on the fields and in the near Kiyosato.

“IT CRASHED! THE PLANE HAS CRASHED!“ Makoto screamed. She had caught the crash with her smartphone and instinctively send the video to her channel.

“MAKOTO STOP FILMING! CALL THE FIRE BRIGADE! THE POLICE... ANYONE!“ Keigo screamed on her. He was terrified... How did that happen? Did the Hollow... No... No that can't be... was it his fault...“

Several passengers were still alive... The impact on the soft and mushy acre saved several peoples lifes... but the thousands of litres of fuel were spilled all over the leftovers of the plane and the survivors. Smoke was rising up, people screamed. The workers on the field could hear the surviours screaming inside the wreakage. The passengers who sat on Kazui's, Yupa's and Ichika's seats survived, too. But they were already soaked with fuel...

“OH, God... Kenta...“ Keigo remembered his son and what he told him several days ago... Keigo said a plane will crash. He said that no plane will crash. But this plane crashed... just like his son predicted...

Before anyone could even realize what just happened, a huge explosion and a gigantig flash of flame appeared on the field... destroying the last remaining leftovers of the plane and killing the remaining survivors...

Please review.


	13. Chapter 13

Keigo saw the huge explosion and was terrified... Kenta... his son predicted it...

“COME ON! WE HAVE TO LEAVE!“ Makoto screamed. He almost didn't hear her during the loud explosion. “KEIGO!“

Keigo woke up from his trance when Makoto grabled his arm and pulled him back to the car... no matter if it was his fault or not, she was right... They had to leave... Far away they could already hear the sirens of the police and the fire-brigade...

In Karakura the Kurosaki's didn't know that the teens were still at the airport and spend a normal day. Ichigo was in the clinic and Orihime went to the supermarket. There she met a familiar face... Yupa's mom...

“Oh hello, Kurosaki-san!“ the woman said.

“Oh, hello. What a surprise!“ Orihime replied.

Both women start to talk. They talked about the weather, thier husbands, thier sons and of course about thier trip to Hokkaido...

“Your husbands patient seem to be a very influential person when he got the good tickets?“

“Ehm... Please what?“ Orihime didn't understood. 

“Huh... I mean,... the tickets for the match! Yupa told me that your husband got them from one of his patients. And because your husband has no time... he gave them to Kazui!“

“No! It can't be. Kazui told us that your husband got them from someones... brother-or-sister-in-law or else?“

Slowly both women realized that thier sons might have lied to them...

Later ones sat with Ichika and Yupa in a restaurant in the airport-terminal and ate the free-breakfast they recieved as 'compansation' for taking a later flight. Both boys remain silent and ignored Ichika's apologies...

“Come on boys, why you are so mad on me? Just because it is my fault that we have to take a later flight... maybe... it has something good...“

Indeed... if they had been aboard that plane, they originaly wanted to take, all three would have burned...

Keigo slowly got paniced. That couldn't be just a coincidence. Nothing of that. It was just impossible. Makoto needed several attempts to start the motor. But finally the car turned on and she raced away over the forest path and back to the road. Her smartphone start to ring...

“I have to pick up that call!“ she said. Keigo tried to prevent it but she already picked up by pressing the button for the hands-free device of the car. Keigo used both hands to hold his mouth. He would bust himself if he talks now. “Yes, this is Hirabata speaking!“

“Hirabata-san, this is Takagi from the editorial office! We got your video! The running broadcast has been interrupted for a special bulletin...“ Keigo recognized that voice immediately. He knew that guy. One more reason to remain silent. He would recognize his voice immediately. “...Are you still there?“

“Yes! I was... with a friend!“ Makoto said. It was the truth.

“Oh my gosh... you go for vacation and than this happens...“ the man said. Keigo was surprised. “We can switch you Live on air...“

“Okay, I'll call you back. I'll be at the crash-site soon! Bye...“ Makoto said and wanted to hang off when Keigo start to ask questions.

“Vacation? You told me that you are here for a story?“ Keigo realized that Makoto lied to her earlier.

“Who is there? Hello? That voice sounds familiar...?“

Keigo hang off by himself immediately to not to bust himself. But the man in the editorial office became suspiscious. He could swear that he knew that voice.

“Makoto, what is going on here? And why do you drive to the crash-site?“

“We talk later about it...“ Makoto said and stopped on a crossroad near the crash-site before she jumped out of the car and start to run to the wreckage together with several others.

“MAKOTO COME BACK! THAT IS TOO DANGEROUS!“ Keigo screamed after her. But Makoto was already gone between all that people. Keigo jumped out of the car and tried to find her.

Fire-trucks, ambulances and police cars approached the scene from all directions. The fire-brigade of Keigo's and Kenta's town was called, too. So the trucks of thier fire-department passed Kenta and his friends with howling sirens when the boys were on the way to the soccer-field.

“Hey guys, look!“ Kenta's friend Rin said and pointed on the huge smoke cloud from the crash-site, that was even seen here in thier town.

“Boah... that has to be a really big fire!“ Taro continued.

“What could it be?“ Kenta asked.

“It has to be something big!“ Rin said and took his smartphone to figure out more.

The boys reached the soccer-field. After the 'tornado' everything was makeshift repaired for the match today. The team from the neigbouring town arrived by bus. It was a relaxed and amused atmosphere. Nobody mentioned the disaster that occured around 40 kilometres away. But several people start to talk about it because they got messages on thier smartphones...

Keigo passed the huge crowd of onlookers, the fire-trucks and ambulances. The whole place was covered with debris. The torn-off tail of the plane was mainly intact and laid on the crossroad. Desperately Keigo looked for Makoto. He wanted to leave... If the Hollow, that attacked them, was really responsible for this crash they were all in huge danger now. Especially Kenta, who predicted this disaster days ago...

The wreckage and actually the whole field was burning. Firefighters sprayed foam and water from all sides on the flames, trying to extinguish them while others start to carry away dead bodies. Keigo almost stumbled over the corpse of a man in his age. The body was burned badly and the bones were broken so hard that they stick out of the flesh. His eyes were wide open and he had an expression full of horror in his face, Keigo only knew from Horror-movies. Terrified and full of fear Keigo went on.

“MAKOTO! MAKOTO, WHERE ARE YOU?“ Keigo screamed. “MAKO... AGHHH...“

Keigo stopped when he found the body of a young boy. He was laying on the road, straight on his back. He looked like he was just sleeping. He seemed to be unharmed. He just had some scratches on his arms and in his face and his clouthes were a bit dirty from the mud. He weared a fan-shirt of the Japanese national soccer team. Looks like he was on the way to the match in Sapporo, tonight. He was in Kenta's age, definetely! They were definetly the same age! Keigo went a few steps closer to the boy, looked on him and start to cry...

“Oh god... you poor boy!“ Keigo had to cry when he found that dead child, remembering him his own son. “Oh, I am so sorry young boy! That's my fault! I am so so sorry!“

“HEY YOU! GO BACK BEHIND THE BARRIER...“ a policeman start to scream, grabled Keigo by his arm and start to pull him away from the dead boy and to escort him back to the barrier.

“Wait... this child needs help!“

“The child is dead!“ the policeman said. He realized that Keigo was not aboard the plane, but in some kind of shock because he maybe witnessed everything. “You can't help him, I'm sorry! But you have to stay behind the...“

“HEY, LOOK THE WOMAN THERE!“ Keigo screamed and pointed on Makoto. He finally saw her. She used her Smartphone to film the burning plane. “SHE IS FILMING THE DEAD PEOPLE...“

The policeman ran to Makoto immediately, leaving Keigo behind. Makoto meanwhile was live on air in TV.

“...it is one of the worst aviation-disasters in the history of our contry. The crashing plane just barely missed several workers, harvesting on the surrounding fields. During the impact on the ground, the plane broke into several pieces and just seconds later there was a huge explosion from the draining fuel...“ Makoto said. Everything she filmed with her phone was aired live in TV. Her channel switched her into the live broadcast. This was an exclusive report.

“Any survivors?“ the anchorman in the studio in Tokyo asked.

“The rescue teams are desperately looking for any survivors. But it looks like noone was able to get out of the plane on time before it explode...“

“HEY YOU! Go away! You are disturbing the rescuers.“ the policeman yelled and escorted Makoto and her running broadcast away.

“Excuse me, we are LIVE!“

“I don't care. It is too dangerous here...“

While Makoto was escorted away LIVE in TV by a policeman, Ichigo just said goodbye to a patient when Orihime stomed into the clinic. She was totally upset.

“ICHIGO!“ she screamed. “You won't believe it!“

“What's going on? Why you are upset?“ Ichigo asked.

“Kazui lied to us!“ it busted out of Orihime. “I just met Yupa's mother in the supermarket. She told me that Yupa told her, that 'you' got the tickets for the match from a patient. But he told us that Yupa's father organized it...“

“What? Why he should do that?“

“I don't know! Anyway the boys and Ichika lied to us. Yupa's mother went home and looks for some evidence in his room. She will call me back if she finds something...“

“That makes no sense...“ Ichigo said confused and took the phone to call Kazui on his smartphone. “We clarify that now...“

At Narita Airport, Kazui, Ichika and Yupa just got told that they won't fly anywhere today anymore...

“What do you mean with, the flight is cancelled?“ Kazui asked shocked when they stood at boarding desk at the gate for thier flight. They originally wanted to ask for a confirmation that they really fly. But instead, they told them that the flight was cancelled, as well as all other flights to Memanbetsu today as well.

“I'm very sorry, but I can't do anything for you! Please contact our service-point in the main-hall...“

“Listen... we are waiting for hours now... because our friend here didn't understand what she did when she withdraw from the previous flight. But we have to get to Hokkaido, today...“

“Oh my gosh... You are the three passengers from the previous flight who... oh dear... Please excuse me!“ the woman was shocked. They could see it in her face that she was shocked. They just nooded and looked after her how she called her colleague. The other woman was pretty upset, too.

“Hello, ehm... Did you had any... friends, or were you part of a bigger group? So did you have anyone flying with you on the previous flight?“

“No! Just us!“ Yupa said and presented her the boarding-passes. “Why? Did something happen?“

“Look, it's...“ the woman was just about to tell them how much luck they had to be still alive when suddenly Kazui's smartphone start to ring... his father was calling...

In Hokkaido, Keigo's son Kenta and his friends still looked for some free seats to watch the match. Rin still glared on his smartphone while Taro was not able to withstand and asked Kenta about the incident in school yesterday.

“Hey, it was pretty impressive how you safed our teachers live yesterday. And very cool. But what did you mean when you said: 'They are here!'?“

“Well... I...“ Kenta briefly thought about telling them. But his father strictly told him to never ever tell anyone. Not even his friends. Or it becomes worse. And he didn't want it to become worse. “... I don't know so... I just... I think, since the tornado I am kind of...“

“Boah... that was a plane-crash!“ Rin suddenly said and presented them a photo from the Internet. “The huge smoke-cloud is a plane. It crashed into the paddy fields...“

“WHAT?“ Kentra screamed so loud that some people turned towards them.

Kenta took his friends smartphone to look on the phone. It was a photo of the intact tail of the plane. He recognized the livery... and he remembered imediately... he imediately remembered the exploding plane he saw... this plane! The memory shot back in his mind and hit him with the power of a tidal-wave. He saw it... He saw it, when he met this men. The one in the taxi and the one with the black kimono... It happened... It really happened... and he knew what else will happen...

“May I use your phone...“ Kenta asked scared and used his friend's smartphone to call the emergency-hotline before he could respond...

In Karakura, Ichigo waited eagerly for his son to pick up the call. Orihime meanwhile recieved the awaited call from Yupa's mother...

Keigo meanwhile winked when Makoto arrived back. The policeman dropped her behind the barrier and Keigo was relieved. But her smartphone was still running...

“...we had to leave the scene. The fire is still out of control... So far noone knows what caused this horrible disaster...“

“Makoto... stop filming, please... The Hollow's could return...“ Keigo screamed, not knowing that he was LIVE in TV, too.

“SSHHH... We are LIVE on air!“ Makoto hissed. Keigo hold his mouth shocked...

In Karakura, Orihime talked with Yupa's mother. She found the booking confirmation in his room and figured out that they doesn't fly to Sapporo, but to Memanbetsu... Kazui meanwhile carefully thought about picking up the call from his father or not. Yupa meanwhile recieved a call from his father, too... both start to feel weird...

“He does not pick up...“ Ichigo said when he was switched to voicemail.

“He avoids talking to us because he is in Memanbetsu.“ Orihime said shocked.

“Memanbetsu?“ Ichigo asked and hang off. “That's not even close to Sapporo! What do they want up there... oh... my... gosh...“

Slowly Ichigo realized...

At the airport, Kazui ignored his fathers call. But Yupa answered his fathers one...

“...you are so in trouble now!“ all three heared the angry voice of Yupa's father. “...You know that I can arrest you, if I want?“

“Da... Dad... I swear... there is a plausible explanation for everything.“ Yupa wailed guiltily.

“Why did you lied to us? Is this some kind of Love-Trip with your scary red-haired girlfriend...“

„SCARY?!“ now Ichika was mad.

“Dad... she can hear you...“ now it became awkward...

In the Kurosaki-Clinic, Ichigo and Orihime realized that something was wrong. Another patient entered the clinic. But she looked on her smartphone for the whole time.

“So Kazui is really on the way to Memanbetsu! I call Yupa's dad to arrest all three of them...“ Ichigo moaned. He knew that Yupa's father was a police-man and could maybe help.

“And he does not pick up?“ Orihime asked.

“No! And I've tried it twice...“

“Excuse me!“ the woman said. “I just overheared your conversation. But someone you knew was in that plane to Memanbetsu.“

“Excuse me Ma'am, but this is a family-matter...“

“Gosh, if you really want to know if the person you knew was in that crashed plane you could call the airline...“

“What? Which crash?“ Orihime asked and became as white as chalk.

The woman took her smartphone and presented them the news about the crash... and it was definetely the flight of thier son and his friends... Orihime let out a horrifying scream...

In the Soul Society several alerts sound up. A huge wave of spiritual-energy was suddenly hitting the north of Hokkaido, with a power the most Shinigami never expected... Local Shinigami reported about a huge explosion, many death humans and a huge chaos. They asked for help to handle all the souls... But most terrfiying was this huge spiritual pressure nobody expected and that lured Hollows from all directions into this area...

Kenta meanwhile called the emergency-hotline. He didn't know what to do else...

“Emergency call center Shari district! Please tell me your situation...“

“Hello... I am calling because there will be a huge explosion!“ Kenta said.

“We already know about the explosion in Konan!“

“No, there will be another explosion! On a boat!“

“Please, what?!“

“I saw it several days ago when I had a vision about the plane-crash. Somewhere here in this area a boat will explode. A... a big one. A fish-trawler maybe...“ Kenta wailed. His both friends were shocked about thier friend's statement.

“Hey, excuse me stripling! But it is prohibited to call the emergency hotline to tell fairytails.“

“No! I didn't made up it! Several days ago that scary Shinigami attacked me and I saw the plane exploding in the paddy field. And than I saw the boat exploding and... hello... hello... The woman just hang off!“ Kenta said shocked before he saw the shocked expression of his friends... Immediately they took away the smartphone from him...

Orihime meanwhile was crying and sobbing. Ichigo was on the verge, too... Thier son... thier only child... was he dead? Why he is not picking up his dammed phone?

Later finally figured out what really happened, while Yupa tried to calm down his father who got more upset by Ichika's offended rants. The woman at the counter told him everything...

“It crashed? Oh my gosh... Any survivors?“

“No!“ the woman told him, fighting with her tears. “That's... why I asked you for? You had no friends or relatives on board?“

Kazui realized that he should call his father immediately... If Yupa's father knew it... he had to figure it out from his wife, or he told her. And she definetely told his parents... And if they think that he was aboard that plane...

Back in Karakura, Ichigo throw the other woman out, locked the door and ran with Orihime back to the living-room to watch the news... In TV they saw the footage of the burning plane. And Makoto, too...

“What is she doing there?“ Orihime screamed with anger and despair...

Since Kurosaki-Gate, they always avoid watching her in TV. Makoto just woke up to many bad memories. They only watched this channel when one of Keigo's old dubbed movies was aired or one of his episodes from Crime-Lab-Tokyo...

And so they watched now full of horror the burning wreckage on the screen. The fire and all the people... and Makoto walking threw the scene and commenting everything...

Ichigo's phone start to ring. It was Kazui...

“OH... KAZUI!... KAZUI, ARE YOU ALRIGHT?“ Ichigo screamed relieved. Orihime grabbled the phone immediately.

“KAZUI... MY BABY... AWWW... In TV they report about how... we thought you are... dead....“

“We are okay! We didn't board the plane!“ Kazui confessed.

Ichigo took the phone back from his wife. “Kazui, you, Ichika and Yupa lied to us. We know that you don't have any tickets for that match... Admit it, you wanted to go to that boy...!“

Kazui was well aware that they were busted. There was nothing to deny...

“Yes!“

“Why, Kazui? Why?“

Kazui start to explain how bad he felt seeing his parents so sad and how they decided to help them by figuring out more about that child, because the statements of the Soul Society always are so weird...

“You all three come back home immediately! UNDERSTAND!“

Kazui agreed reluctantly. Then his parents saw in TV how Makoto was escorted by the police-man back to 'her friend'...

“Makoto... stop filming, please... The Hollow's could return...“

Ichigo and Orihime were terrified... Kazui, who could hear everything over the phone, freezed as well... This voice... and this statement...

“Hirabata-san... Who is that? And what are Hollows?“ the anchorman asked surprised...

This voice... This voice they would had recognized among millions... he didn't used his fake dialect when he said this words... But it was definetly his voice... May it be?... Really?... No!... No, that's impossible!... Was thier friend alive? Was he really alive?...

While everyone tried to understand what was going on, Kenta could feel it. He felt something big and evil approaching. And his father suddenly start to see the spirits of the dead passengers...

Please Review.

Stay healthy!


	14. Chapter 14

Ichigo and Orihime were shocked. Both could swear that they heared the voice, that ranted with Makoto, before. The sound of this striking voice and the expression... but it couldn't be. It was impossible. They attend to his funeral... But they never saw his corpse!... He died back then... but he was also never localized in the Soul Society... What is going on here?

In TV, the conection to Makoto was lost after she and 'Keigo or whoever' clashed together. The newsanchor turned back to the camera to talk to the viewers...

“Ladies and Gentleman, it looks like we have lost contact to our colleague in Hokkaido. But for now we can confirm that there are no suvivors aboard the crashed plane. Of course we will try to re-establish the contact so we can provide you with more news on...“

Ichigo was totally perplexed. He didn't understand the world anymore. He wanted to yell at someone, or anything else... He wanted to punch the coffee-table, but that would had upset Orihime just much more than she already was. Kazui was screaming threw the phone asking what is going on. Ichigo ordered him to come back home with Yupa and Ichika and hang off... Never ever he wished for one of Rukia's and Renji's surprise-visits more than right in this moment... but like they listened to him...

“Ichigo, Orihime, are you home?“ Rukia yelled from the corridor.

“RUKIA!“ Ichigo screamed, partly relieved, partly angrily.

“Aww... Good to see you! Sorry for the surprise-visit, but we wanted to talk to you? We are a little bit worried about Ichika's trip. It is not like we don't trust Yupa, but...“ Rukia told when she and Renji entered the room. Both not in Gigai and still unaware what happened.

“Rukia... the kids wanted to visit this boy in that village!“ Ichigo busted out. The Abarais were shocked. “And thier plane just crashed!“

Rukia and Renji were terrified. Ichigo pointed on the TV were still pictures of the burning wreckage were aired...

“Oh, my... ICHIKA?“ Rukia asked scared. “How is she? Is she hurt?“

“They are all fine! They didn't board the flight! I just talked with Kazui and they are on the way back.“ Ichigo told and than he continued with who they just 'heared' talking in TV...

The fire at the crash-site was so hot, that Keigo felt like standing directly over a hot burning grill despite the fact that it was around 150 metres away. Small pieces of debris, papers and various clouthes flew thew the air. Keigo Asana never imagined to witness such a disaster, and he saw a lot of things in his life...

The police-man escorted Makoto back to Keigo after she tried to enter the crash-site again.

“Are you still on air?“ Keigo asked carefully.

“No!“ she answered while she tried to call her office again.

“Good! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU THINK WHEN YOU DID THAT?!“ Keigo screamed now loud and penetrating without fear that someone could hear him in TV.

Keigo screamed so loud that other people turned to them to glare on them. Keigo felt very unconfortable in this situation. He wanted to leave... but suddenly he saw someone... A young man was walking dazed between the leftovers of the burning wreckage...

“OH MY GOD! LOOK THERE!“ Keigo screamed loudly. “SEE THE MAN THERE!“

Makoto and the policeman who just arrested her, both looked back to the wreckage. Makoto was really able to see something. But the policeman was not...

“There is nobody!“ the policeman said. “That's enough. You come both with me...“

“But the man over there! He just came out of the plane!“ Keigo yelled.

“WHERE?“ now the policeman yelled, but he was not able to see someone. Other people couldn't see anything, too. But the man just left the burning plane. Just now Keigo saw that there was a chain hanging out of his chest...

“Oh... sorry... nothing! My mistake!“ Keigo said scared and left.

He just saw a ghost... definetely! It was the ghost of one of the passengers... Keigo turned away and ran away.

“HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GOING?“ Makoto screamed after him.

Keigo ran back to the car. On his way there... he saw the child again.

“Daddy...“ the ghost of the boy, he just found on the street, wailed. “Daddy... where are you?... Where are you, daddy?“

Keigo was terrified but now he catched the boy's attention. “THAT'S YOU! Boy...“

“Mister, did you see my daddy?“ the ghost boy asked.

“No! I CAN'T SEE ANYTHING! I can't see you!“ Keigo screamed and ran away.

He finally reached the car, he and Makoto arrived with, jumped on the driver's seat and wanted to start it. But Makoto had the keys. Keigo ranted angrilly and was going to jump out of the car again to get the keys, but than he mentioned all the ghosts surrounding the car. Looking on him...

His son meanwhile, was forced to listen to the worried and shocked questions of his friends...

Why did he call the emergency-hotline? Why he claimed that a boat will explode? What was going on?

“Kenta, what's wrong?“

“Yes, why did you use my phone to call the emergency-hotline. My parents will take away the phone from me when they figure that out!“

“Answer!“

“I CAN'T!“ Kenta screamed terrified. “I... I have to... The police! I have to tell the police! They will believe me... I hope...“

After these words, Kenta left his friends behind to ran to the police-car, that parked near the soccer-field...

“POLICE!“ Kenta screamed, scaring up the both policemen. A screaming and visibly terrified child was something nobody could ignore. “LISTEN PLEASE, I NEED HELP!“

“HEY, Boy!“ one of the policeman said and kneeled down to talk to Kenta face to face. “It's fine. What happened?“

Both policeman were originally ordered to keep an eye on this event. But now Kenta told them a confused story... about the black clouthed creatures, about how he saw the crashing plane and about the fishing trawler that will explode soon as well as about the monsters...

“Wow... that is a very... 'unusual' story. Why, do you think that... down in the harbor will a trawler explode?“ the policeman asked.

“I saw it?! Well... there was this man... he attacked me...“ Kenta told them about his clash with Ikkaku, despite his father told him to tell nobody.

Suddenly the two policeman were very upset: “Please what? He attacked you?“

“I... I saw a sword... and than suddenly I saw... the plane crashing...“ Kenta tried to remember. After the incident he tried to forget it, but now he tried to concentrate more on it... but maybe... “...I think... my father...“

“Did your father attack you?“ the policeman asked shocked.

“No! I think... he saw the plane... exploding...“ Kenta murmured. Slowly he start to believe that his father was realy close to the crash-site and may saw the crash.

The second policeman bend to his colleague to whisper into his ear: “There was a plane crash near Konan... that came just in by radio!“

The policeman who talked to Kenta looked on the boy again and realized that the boy was pretty afraid and upset. Something was wrong...

“Where is your father, now? I would like to ask him some questions!“

“I think... He is near the plane...“

“Come... we get you home!“ the policeman said. “And there we will wait for your father...“

In Karakura, Ichigo told everything he knew to the Abarais. Something really weird was going on. And he could swear that this so called 'department' in the Soul Society was involved...

“That are really strong accusations, Ichigo!“ Rukia replied. “But now that you tell it... I also think that...“

Suddenly the phone start to ring and cut Rukia off. Orihime left to pick up and Rukia continued with her own story.

“Right before we came here, there were this weird reports about a strong and uncommon wave of spirituall energy up in the North...“

“From the boy?“

“Maybe! Ichigo, the boy is a Fullbring!“ Rukia explained. Ichigo was not surprised but also stunned that they lied to him before. “I was able to force them to tell me the truth yesterday evening... It looks like you activated the boy's powers with your precence...“

Orihime meanwhile picked up the phone...

“Hello!“

“Orihime, it's me!“ Mizuiro said.

“Mizuiro-kun, hello! How are you... ehm... you are calling on a late hour? What time is it at you? 2 am?“

“I am at Moscow Airport!“ Mizuiro replied. He just learned about the crash in Japan and so far he didn't recieve any respond from Tatsuki. Now he waited at Moscow-Domodedovo Airport for his connecting flight to Narita. “Orihime I have a question to you. Did you talk with Tatsuki today? Or yesterday evening maybe?“

“No, why?“

“Orihime, Tatsuki will kill me as soon as she figures out that I told you... but I have to tell you what she planned...“

While Mizuiro told Orihime everything about Tatsuki's plans and her trip, the Abarai's realized during thier conversation with Ichigo that they had to get more informations.

“Renji, we go back immediately... something is going on!“ Rukia moaned. “We take care about Ichika and her supposed affair later...“

“Please, what?“ Ichigo asked stunned.

“Aww... There is a rumor about Ichika and Yupa beeing... well... together...“ Renji murmured.

“What if?“ Ichigo asked curious.

“What do you know about it?“

“Just enough to know, that I have no clue how to comfort Yupa's parents after you teared Yupa into pieces, if it is true!“ Ichigo moaned while Orihime came back to tell them, totally upset, about Tatsuki.

“Tatsuki was on the way up there, too!“ she yelled.

“WHAT?“ all others screamed at once.

“YEAH! Kojima-kun just told me everything. Looks like Tatsuki took a flight up there yesterday. But since then she isn't answering any call or message...“

All this couldn't be just a coincidence... In Soul Society, everyone still tried to figure out the reason for the mysterious spiritual wave rolling over the north of Hokkaido... For now they were just able to localize the orgin.... 

“What we know, so far?“ a Shinigami asked. He and a around ten other Shinigami stood around a big table with a map of that area.

“So...“ a Shinigami of the second division said and marked two places on the map. “... we know that the wave has actually two orgins! One is located in this small town at the coast to the ocean. The other one is around 40 Kilometres away... Around this area in this forest area near Mount Shari...“

The Shinigami looked on the both spots on the map. One realized immediately that one of this 'orgin-points' was pretty close to the crash-site of an airplane. Almost 200 human-souls died... So they ordered immediately to send several troops to the affected area. It was a matter of time before the whole place is full of Hollows...

Right there, Keigo sat on the driver's seat of Makoto's rental-car, watching the ghosts of the passengers approaching him from all sites. Men, women and children... from kids to eldery people... they all staggered towards him in fear, shock and in hope for help... Everyone with a chain, hanging down from his or hers chest and well aware to be dead... desperately Keigo looked for the keys. Hoping that Makoto may left them somewhere in the car. But it was not here. Everything he could do was switching on the radio...

The ghosts, whose human bodies were neighter squashed, burned or torn into pieces, had no clue where to go else... some were crying... some were wailing... but they all felt a strong precence... something good... something clean... they felt Keigo...

“Can you see me... Help us... What happened...“ these were just a few questions Keigo heared them saying. Now the ghosts start to surround the car and continued to wail...

For 10 years Keigo was not able to see ghosts... for 10 years, he was not a Hollow-magnet... for 10 years, he thought that he is safe and can provide his son a safe life... Fucking Shinigami... Fucking Tatsuki... just after they appear this shit happens... Keigo screamed... He screamed to not to hear the ghosts and used both hands to hold his ears and his eyes to not to see them... he didn't endure it... Hundreds of ghosts of cruely killed humans surround him... For what? Was it his fault?

“LEAVE ME ALONE!“ Keigo screamed towards the ghosts. “I CAN NOT SEE YOU!“

When Keigo start to scream, he catched the attention of several onlookers. One of them told everything to a policeman, who told everything to the woman he came with: Makoto. Later one found one of the field workers, who was able to safe himself in the last moment before the plane crashed, and interviewed him when the policeman told her about Keigo's bad condition. She was not pretty good in seeing ghosts... was just able to see them blurred... But she mentioned that there had to be huge crowd of ghosts surrounding her rental-car. And Keigo inside, was able to see all of them clearly and start to turn insane... She start to ran to him immediately...

Keigo continued screaming against the ghosts. He didn't want to see them. He didn't want to hear them... He just wanted to leave...

“Mister...“ Keigo was terrified when he heared the boys's voice again and turned around. The child's ghosts was back again, sitting right next to him in the car... “Mister... where is my daddy?“

“OH, please!“ Keigo wailed. “Please... I don't know where your daddy is! Please, go away...“

The boy start to cry... Keigo didn't endure it... And all those ghosts continued to ask him wailing questions...

Two local Shinigami mentioned the immense spiritual power in the air. Both were not far away when the plane crashed and arrived to take care of the souls. And they immediately realized that all souls seemed to be attracted by the orgin of the power, inside that car... The other humans all around the crash-site mentioned, too that something was going on... The policeman who arrested Keigo and Makoto before suddenly mentioned two flight-attendants passing him. Both with chains from thier chests and 'transparent'... One of the field workers mentioned people leaving the wreckage and walking dizzily towards a parking car... And Makoto saw more and more people, or at least thier outlines, approaching her rental-car and turning Keigo more and more insane...

The Shinigami, who safed Kenta several days ago from a Hollow arrived at the crash-site, too and start to help. He mentioned all the ghosts, surrounding the car, too and joined his comrades who approached the car...

Makoto was terrified while she looked for her way threw the mass of ghosts and reached the car. The ghost of the boy dissappeared when Makoto opened the door and got in to hand the keys to Keigo. She realized that it was a mistake to come here. Keigo was attracting the ghosts. He felt it... she felt it... as well as the Shinigami and Keigo felt the Shinigami.

“THE KEYS!“ Keigo screamed. “MAKOTO, QUICK! GIMME THE KEYS!“

In thier hometown, Rin and Taro looked after thier friend and saw him, being 'arrested'...

“Hello! Mr. Policeman, did you arrest our friend?“ Rin asked shocked.

“No, we just get him home. He does not feel well! Are you here with him?“

The boys nooded. “Mister, did he just tell you a weird story about... a boat that will explode...?“

“Yes! And that's why we get him home. We have to talk to his father!“ the policeman said and entered the car. When the policecar drove away, the two boys start to feel weird. Thier best friend was freaking out. And did he really 'predict' that plane crash? What if he is right with the boat, too? Rin took his smartphone to call his parents immediately... Both were worried. Really worried. Especially because thier fathers both worked on a fishing trawler... And to worse everything, dark clouds appeared on the sky again with a cold wind and a scary thunder in the air. For quite some time now the weather in thier town changed so quickly...

Kenta's father meanwhile needed af few seconds to get the key into the ignition lock while the surrounding ghost turned louder and louder every second and became more and more. Slowly, it seemed like that were not only the ghosts from the plane... but also all other ghosts from the surrounding areas... and they all begged for help...

“I CAN'T HELP YOU!“ Keigo screamed.

The three Shinigami finally arrived the crowd of ghosts and were overwhelmed by the situation and atmosphere. But most of all, by the spiritual pressure radiating from the person inside that car. Who ever this human was, was able to see all the ghosts clearly. They could hear it. And slowly they realized that it was not just a normal human... it was a soul, too. At least he felt like a soul and not like a human. The crowd of ghosts start to calm down slowly...

“Please, be quiet! Please... we will take care of you all, please calm down!“ one of the three Shinigami yelled. “We are Shinigami... we will take care of you!“

“NOOOOOOOO!!!“ Keigo screamed when he saw the three Shinigami in front of the car.

Thats it... after ten years it is over... it's finally over... he is able to see them again...

“Good day! Are you able to see us?“ one of the other Shinigami asked, without knowing who the man was he was talking to. He just followed the new rules. One of them was to to remain calm and politely talking to the person to calm it down.

“Hey... You look familiar...“ the third one added.

“NO!“ Keigo screamed and finally was able to turn on the motor. He pushed the throttle fully and raced threw the ghost-crowd...

With squeaking tires, the SUV raced threw the ghosts, hit one of the Shinigami who was thrown down and left the scene. Desperately Keigo tried to shy away the people by honking wildly. A woman had to jump away, to not to get hit. And he barely missed a police-man and a firefighter...

“KEIGO, WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?“ Makoto screamed.

“WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT MY SISTER?“

“WHAT?“

“YOU SAID THAT MY SISTER SEND IT TO YOU! WHAT DID YOU MEAN WITH THAT?“

Makoto start to cry and told him the short version: She figured out that his sister send that package to thier channel. Possibly as an act of revenge because Keigo denigrated her at the youth-welcare-office. Makoto wanted to publish it. Also to clear Keigo's reputation. But while she was preparing everything a group of foreigners appeared and prevent it. She suspected them to be Shinigami. They said that it would 'harm' Keigo...

“I THINK THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO COME OUT OF YOUR HIDEOUT!“ she screamed. 

“WHA...AT?!“ Keigo screamed back and almost lost control of the car when he performed an full breaking on a crossroad, forcing the driver of a truck to perform an emergency breaking to avoid a crash. “WHAT... Did you said?“

Makoto was totally paniced. Suddenly she looked on Keigo with a fear, she never ever had in her face... it was terrifiying... Keigo suddenly changed rapidly...

“Makoto, answer me! Do you want to tell me that the Shinigami still know that I am alive?“ Keigo said angrily. “ANSWER ME!“

“Keigo, your face...!“ she said terrified.

“What?“ Keigo asked while the truck driver honked eagerly.

“Your face... it's...“ Makoto said, still with fear in her voice and so she grabbled the rearview mirror to turn it to Keigo to see it by himself... and what he saw let him forget all his anger immediately...

Keigo's face, or more exactly the part of his face Tatsuki hit with her fist, was swollen way more than before. The swelling looked like it was breathing... Like a balloon that was puffed-up and than emptied permanentaly. A tear of black blood came out of the eye over the swelling and ran down his face... the other half of his face turned grey and looked like it was going to fall off soon. His old burns start to twinkle weirdly... it was like... there was something inside his body that tried to burst out. Keigo screamed and hit the mirror away. He was terrified. With both hands he hold his face and screamed...

“WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?!“ he screamed. “MAKOTO, what's happening with me?“

“I... I don't know... but... it... it... it stopped!“ Makoto said relieved. Keigo could really feel how his face stopped to throb.

“HEY, YOU! GET OUT OF MY WAY!“ the truck driver yelled and honked again.

Keigo was still unable to move. Even when the truck driver, who was forced to make a emergency break, left his truck to aproach Keigo angrilly. He knocked against his window. Keigo didn't react. Only when he opened the door, to scream on Keigo, Keigo finally turned to face the driver.

The truck driver was horrified of the sight. Keigo's 'breathing' swelling and the twinkling burns were just shocking...

“Leave me alone!“ Keigo hissed angrily and smashed the door close to race away.

The man loked after the car and staggered back to ihs truck in fear...

“Aghh... a demon!...“ he stuttered. He didn't know about the crashed plane several kilometres away so far. He would had thought that he was on board that flight. But that was not a normal injury... It... looked more like... a broken doll... An icy gust of wind blowed over the ground while a loud thunder echoed threw the air...

While Keigo raced away, he could see that his face turned back to normal. And Keigo realized that Makoto lied to him...

The Kurosaki's meanwhile tried to contact Tatsuki. But her phone was switched off and she was neigther home nor at work. At the same time they waited for the teens to return from the airport. The Abarai's returned to the Soul Society and stormed into the office of the department for humans with spiritual powers...

“WHERE IS HE?!“ Rukia screamed when she and Renji stormed inside.

“Who do you mean, taichou-sama?“ the only other Shinigami in the room asked scared.

“You know exactly who I am talking about! ASANO!“

“Which Asano?“

„ASANO KEIGO!“ Rukia lost her patience. “I start to believe, that everyone in this office is lying to us. We learned about the incidents in Hokkaido. And the Kurosaki's just heared his voice!“

“His voice?“

“YEAH, his voice! In TV!“ Renji added.

“I thought it was his job. To speak in TV for other people who doesn't know Japanese, I think...“

“NO!“ now both Abarais yelled mad. 

“Let me ask this question a different way... Do you know where Tatsuki Arisawa is right now?“

“Arisawa?“ now the Shinigami became a little bit nervous and immediately closed a file on the desk next to him to stow it away. “No, I am sorry!“

“What was that? Is that Tatsuki's file?“ Rukia asked.

“Ehm... No, that's just... a random file...“ the Shinigami lied. Rukia instantly realized that it was a lie and grabbled the file to read it. She didn't care for the bureaucracy now. She wanted answers. But after she opened the file, she was devastated. The file was 'officially closed'. That meaned that the person was 'deceased'... and indeed Tatsuki's status was already changed to 'deceased'...

“OH GOD! Is that true?“ Rukia asked shocked.

The Shinigami realized that there was nothing to deny. It was over: “I am afraid, yes! I don't know exactly what happened, but it looks like she died on a journey to the North.“

Rukia was so shocked that she had to sit down. Renji, too. After all they had to learn about the death of a friend.

“How did that happen?“ Rukia asked. “Tatsuki... Where is she? Was she aboard that plane?“

“She was localized in the 61 th district in the Rukongai. Two men are on the way to pick her up and to get her here...“

“Has it... something to do... with that spiritual-wave thats right now over the north of Japan?“ Renji asked. 

“I don't know!“

“You are lying...“ Rukia realized. “Tatsuki was going to visit this child! I already know that... a friend from the world of the living told me...“

“Really, I don't know it!“

“IS THAT THE STANDARD ANSWER HERE?“ Rukia screamed. Right in this moment, the director of the bureau left his office...

“Hey, what's that noise?“ he asked.

Rukia jumped out of her chair to hold Tatsuki's file right in front of his face. Tears filled her eyes. “How could that happen? How could our friend die... right when she was going to visit this ominous child?“

“Oh... well... I...“

“Don't dare to tell me that you don't know it!“ Rukia hissed angrilly. “This fullbring-child... is it Keigo Asano?“

“Keigo Asano is dead!“ the Shinigami respond.

“ANYTHING NEW?“ Rukia screamed much more angrier.

“Please let me finish... Keigo Asano... is dead! But... I don't know how to explain it... we were not fully honest about the matter of his... current... state...“

“What is that meaning?“ Rukia didn't understand.

“Well... ehm... Asano... deceased in this fateful night back then... but... he never left the world of the living...“

Please Review.


	15. Chapter 15

Warning: Bloody and cruel scenes (Rating M) ahead!

Keigo overrun several red lights, raced around the corners like a insane formula-one-driver... Makoto was still full of panic, but was also curious where Keigo learned to drive like that.

“You lied to me!“ he ranted angrilly when he shot around the corner and reached the road that conect his hometown with Shari.

“Keigo... I... I don't know pretty much...“

“So tell me, what you know!“

“Well... after I figured out that you are alive... WATCH OUT!“ Makoto screamed after she saw a man appearing on the street...

The man was a farmer who was going to carry a crate full of recently harvested cabbage to his car on the other side of the street. He screamed in fear as he had to jump away to avoid the racing SUV. The vecicle missed him just a few inches. Makoto's fear grew with every second...

“Keigo, are you insane? Please, drive slower!“

“Not as long as the ghosts are after us!“ Keigo screamed and looked behind.

“KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD!“ Makoto screamed and Keigo almost left the road and had to correct to keep the track. “Keigo... I don't think that they follow you...“

“Makoto... Now, tell me what happened...“ Keigo ranted again. Under normal conditions, the ride to his town was about 45 minutes from the crash site. But even with his high-speed they would need some time. Enough time to recieve some answers from Makoto.

“So... These people, who came to prevent my report about your sister... they were suspicious to me. They even gave me a business card. With a real working phone-number. When I called it, they told me to not to search you, that everything I report about you will only cause trouble, and so far... I admit, that I hoped that you will... RED LIGHT!!!“

Keigo barely missed a waiting car at the crossroad, passed it and raced over the crossroad forcing two other cars to emergency-breaks. But Keigo continued racing unimpressed...

“KEIGO... This is not the Suzuka Grand Prix!“

“What did you hoped for?“

“I... I hoped that you will come out of your immersion. I hoped that you will call me! Keigo, you are my friend, and I was devastated when you... SPEED CAMERA!...“ Keigo raced into a speed camera that took a photo of them because of thier overspeed. “...you will pay that ticket...“

“MAKOTO!“

“...I... I... thought I could avenge all that shit the Shinigami did to you somehow. I don't know why but I tried at least. Finally, I came to the conclusion that these people have to be Shinigami, too. One day I finally saw it... and than I realized that they know that you are still alive!“

“WHAT?“ Keigo screamed and almost lost control again. A policeman mentioned him and start to follow him with his patrol car. “Is that true?“

“I think so! I continued researching and... because that I let my colleagues interview your friends! I only wanted to understand. One of these guys told me that weird stuff, like... something really terrible will happen if you come out... Keigo if the Soul Society really wants to kill you, they would had done it already years ago!“

Keigo became pensive... he heared a lot of lies in his life. Especially when the Shinigami were involved. From Makoto, too: “Why you are here? Who send you?“

The siren of the police-car came closer. The totally feared Makoto pointed on the police-car and Keigo realized that he had to stop.

“What does the cops want from me, now?“

“Maybe they want to know why you overan several red lights with more than 130 Kilometres per hour and almost killed a farmer...“

“Ssss... quiet. I will handle it...“ Keigo hissed after he parked the car beside the road.

“Wannabe Hamilton!“ Makoto wailed.

“Ssss...“ Keigo hissed again when the policeman left the patrol-car, right behind them and walked to them. Keigo let the window down and smiled innocently. “Good morning!“

“You know why I stopped you?“ the policeman asked sarcastically.

“I am so sorry for speeding, officer. But we are on the way to the doctor! My friend here has an seizure...“

The policeman looked inside to see the pale and horrfied Makoto. He didn't recognized the famous woman with her pale face and the messed up hair. A heavy wind-gust let the car shake. Keigo gave his drivers-licence to the policeman and continued smiling innocently...

“Okay... Mister Osaka... Is this your car?“

“It's a rental-car!“ Keigo said innocently. He avoid turning to policeman completely so he doesn't see the injuries in his face. Another strong wind gust blew over them and even the policeman had to hold on the car, to not to fall down. Suddenly Keigo start to freeze. He felt something... is that...

“What's with your co-driver?“

“Hollow!“ Keigo realized scared.

“Please, what?“

“Ehm... I mean... we have to go to the doctor immediately! Keigo said and start the motor again to leave.

“Hey, you won't leave until we clarified this...“ the policeman was not able to finish his sentence. He died before...

Something long and sharp impaled the policeman from behind and lift him off his feet... Keigo and Makoto screamed in fear when they saw the dead policeman beeing lift into the air. The long sharp something, that impaled him, cut off his head, which fell on the windshield and covered it with blood. The policeman's dead eyes, looking on Keigo with a fear, he never ever saw before. 

Screaming, Keigo stepped on the throttle to race away. That was the moment, both realized that the Hollow was holding the car. All windows on Keigo's side shattered and the rear passenger door was torn off. The Hollow jumped into the air and land on the roof of the car, that was pushed down around 20 Centimetres and shattered the windshield.

Makoto didn't stop screaming. She had no idea what to do else. They couldn't deny it but they were hunted by a Hollow. Latter crawled on the windshield to get inside... The windshield crashed inside and Makoto lost consciousness. Keigo used the chance. The Hollow was not big. Like a dog maybe. But Keigo didn't care and hit the Hollow with his fist directly in his mask. Keigo could hear a loud crack, but it could have also been the bones in his hand. But the Hollow roared in pain, slipped of the car and vanished. Keigo didn't look back... he didn't want to know the hollow following him or not. He could already see his town. It was so close... He had to go to Kenta, immediately...

His son arrived home with the two other policeman. A heavy wind gust blew a carbage-container over the road. Loud thunder echoed threw the air when Kenta led the two police-officers upstairs to thier apartment. He hoped so much that his father was already home and that he won't be mad on him because he told them about the bald man who attacked him in the kitchen...

His friends meanwhile met with thier fathers at the harbor to tell them what happened.

“And you really want us to believe this?“ Taro's father moaned. He was stacking crates with freshly caugth fish while listening to the boys. “Believe me... here will nothing explode! Neighter a boat, nor something else...“

Rin's father meanwhile just left the fishing trawler that was secured on the dock and looked on the boys worried but also mad. “And about the call, at the emergency-hotline... we will talk about this tonight! You know that it is not okay to do this. You are so in trouble now!“

“But dad, Kenta predicted the plance-crash, too!“ Rin wailed. Icy wind blowed over the harbour and suddenly the waves lashed violently against the dock. “Dad, we are really worried about Kenta. Something is wrong with him... and with his father, too!“

“Yeah, something is going on!“ Taro added.

The both men looked on each other and thought about it. Indeed, there were a lot of rumors about the local Hikkikomori. When they turned back to thier sons, they mentioned that both suddenly became as white-as-chalk and they looked both like they saw a ghost when they stared on a spot, right next to the trawler.

“Hey, boys... what up now?“

“Dad... Amayame-san, died last year, didn't he...?“ Rin wailed.

“Yes! Kids, don't change the topic...“ Rin's father moaned. He remembered his colleagues accident and it was horrible...

“But... Amayame-san, is right next to you...“

“You can finally see me...?“ the ghost asked wondered.

Indeed, Kentas friends were now able to see the ghosts clearly... Hollows, too. Especially the Hollows aproaching thier town from far away...

“AGHHH... DADDY... Look, there in the sky...“

When the man looked up into the sky, they saw several black blurred dots, slowly comming closer and closer... And suddenly they saw the ghost of thier late colleague, too...

Kenta meanwhile, entered thier apartment with the two policeman.

“Daddy, are you home?“ he yelled. Nobody home. The apartment was empty.

The two policeman looked around carefully. After that story from the boy, both were pretty curious about the father. But everything here seemed fine. The whole apartment was pretty clean... they could even smell it. There was a stench of cleaning agents and chlorine in the air. Like the whole apartment was recently cleaned several times...

“Tell me, young boy... Does you father have a cleaning fancy?“

“No!“ Kenta murmured.

“Where is he, now?“ the other policeman asked. He realized that there were no photos on the walls.

“Today in the morning... he said that he has to do something really important.“ Kenta answered.

“He has a smartphone, or not? If you know his number you can call him! Please, do so and tell him to come home immediately...“

Kenta followed that order and took the phone to call his fathers smartphone...

Keigo raced with the hardly damaged SUV threw the town. He saw the dark sky and he could hear the thunder. They are comming, he knew it... soon, the whole place will be flooded with Hollows. Makoto was laying unconsciously on the passenger seat next to him and didn't react anymore. Keigo drove like a maniac, shoot around the last corner and crashed with the SUV threw the front wall of Keiko's restaurant...

Keigo bend down when the vehicle crashed threw the thin wooded wall and stopped inside the restaurant with squeaking tires. Keigo could hear the bar counter shattering, as well as most of the furniture. Parts of the ceiling crashed down and covered the car in debris. Keigo was too afraid to open his eyes, until he was sure that it was over and that the building is not collapsing over him.

“What's that noise?“ one of the policeman in Keigos apartment asked and went out on the balcony...

When Keigo left the car, he looked for Makoto one last time. She was alive. She had just a few scratches and a little bump on her head. He left her behind. He was still mad on her that she double-crossed him that badly, and ran back to his apartment. From the balcony of Keigo's apartment, the policeman couldn't see the front of the restaurant. Only the roof and the side of it. So he only mentioned a dustcloud.

“Hey, colleague... look on that! Looks like they had a little accident in the neigbouring house...“

Keigo ran around the corner, saw the policecar and realized that they were here for him... Did Kenta...? Keigo entered the yard, ran upstairs and could hear his smartphone start to ring in that moment...

“Officer, he does not pick up!“

“I AM BACK!“ Keigo yelled, after he opened the door. “Kenta... why is the police here?“

“Are you Masaru Osaka? The father of this boy?“ one of the policeman asked.

“Yes! Yes, that is me! What is going on here?“

“The same we wanted to ask you! What happened with your face?“

Keigo turned away to look into the mirror behind him. He looked normal again. No breathing swelling and no twinkling scars. Only the injury he got from Tatsuki was still visible, but he also wondered why it didn't start to heal...

“I had a little accident. I was helping a friend and slipped down. That's fine. So, why are you here, officer?“

Keigo could feel his heart start to race. Now it was time to play-act, like back then... but now better...

In Karakura, Orihime eagerly waited in the holding pattern of the airline hotline. Tatsuki was still not answering any call and Orihime was afraid that she may was on board of the crashed flight. Ichigo meanwhile called his son again. Maybe he knew something.

“Where are you now?“ Ichigo asked.

“We are about... 3 stations away from Karakura!“ Kazui said remorseful. “Dad, I am sorry! I know we should have told...“

“We talk later about it!“ Ichigo moaned mad. He was really mad on Kazui, but there were more important things to clarify now. “Kazui, did you see Tatsuki at the airport?“

“Tatsuki? No, why?“

“Looks like Tatsuki had the same idea like you and wanted to travel to the North! She isn't answering any call. We are afraid that she might was on board of that plane!“

“Oh my god...“ Kazui murmured shocked. The day became worse with every minute. “No... No... we didn't see her. We would had mentioned her. Yupa, Ichika... did you see Tatsuki at the airport? My parents are looking for her?“

Kazui's friends denied, too. Ichigo was really worried now. On the TV screen he could see that a weird storm was forming up there... Orihime meanwhile was finally conected to someone and nervously asked for Tatsuki and if she was on board...

“What do you mean with, you can't give me any information...?“ Orihime got told that she called the wrong number and that she ended up in the marketing department. Here they weren't able to help her anyway... “Thanks... You me, too!“

Orihime smashed the horn back on the reciever and tried to call Tatsuki's apartment again. Ichigo still talked with Kazui.

“Kazui, as soon as you arrived... take a taxi and come here immediately. Ichika's parents are in the Soul Society and try to figure out more. Something is going on. Something really bad...“

In the Soul Society, Rukia and Renji sat in the office of the director of the department for humans with spirituall awareness and listened to him, telling them remorseful and guiltily the shocking truth about Keigo, his son and the other horrible secret both had without even knowing it. And it slowly got out of control.

“You... You lied to us!“ Rukia said shocked, a tear running down her face. “You... You Liar, you! How dare you? How dare you to keep this all this years from us?“

“It was for everyones safety! Really! Not only for Asano and his son, but for the whole Soul Society and the Kurosaki's!“ the Shinigami explained upset. “When Kurosaki-Gate was erased out of the humans memories... Asano's involvement was also erased. It is a really fragile system. And after we learned about the child, we knew that it will have a Fullbring. And it is a powerful one! More powerful than we ever saw before...“

“So, this spiritual-wave in the North is...?“ Renji realized.

“It can only be from the child. But it had two orgins... so the child... and I am afraid, the other one is his father...“

The Shinigami just finished his sentence when someone hammered against the door wildly and another Shinigami stormed into the office.

“Excuse me... But the two orgin-points of the wave have been localized. Both humans are right now at the same spot. In the whole Okhotsk-subprefecture around 500 Hollows have been localized. And thier number is increasing... rapidly!“

Rukia was shocked. One bad news followed the next... first the news about Tatsuki's sudden death, than Keigo and now this...

“I sound the alarm. All aviable Shinigami have to go there immediately... How could it happen? Why suddenly?“

The director start to sweat. “We, were sure that it calms down, as long as all Shinigami keep enough distance to the boy. All incidents only happened when a Shinigami came too close. But someone had... Oh... no...“

“What, Oh no?“ Rukia asked upset.

“Arisawa...“ the Shingami realized. “When she visited Asano and... awww...“

„I thought she was aboard that plane...“

The Shinigami realized finally what was going on. He left the office to scream: “GET ARISAWA HERE! IMMEDIATELY! SHE IS UNDER ARREST!“

Rukia and Renji were shocked. But it was true: She had to explain them some things...

Keigo meanwhile, wanted to get rid of the police as soon as possible. They had to get away from here. He had a prepared 'getaway-bag' in the wardrobe, he only had to grab and leave. Inside the bag, he even had several bundles of Russian Roubles and some Dollar and Euro, for emergencys. As soon as he got rid of the two policeman, he takes Kenta, goes to the harbor and steals a small boat, to get to one of the small Russian islands nearby. And from there, he takes a ferry or anything else to the mainland...

But now he was trapped here with two policeman asking him serious and difficult question. In the next door building he crashed a SUV with an unconscious woman and just a few minutes ago, he had to see how a Hollow ripped off the head of a policeman...

“I met with my old friend and now I am back here!“ Keigo finished his story. He told the same lies as always. The 'man who attacked his son' was a nightmare! Kenta's strange behaviour was explained with the concussion he suffered during the so called 'tornado'. In his minds, Keigo prayed that they believe him. But suddenly the two policemen recieved a call over the radio device.

Suddenly everything was told to them: a SUV full of blood racing over the roads, a decapitated policeman, ghost sightings at the harbor...

“Duty calls... You should go to the doctor with your son!“

“Ehm,... Sure! I already have an appointment with his guidance consuelor at school!“ Keigo said. But it was a lie, as he will be in Russia with him today evening.

“Oh... and one more thing!“ the policeman said when Keigo escorted them out. “We keep an eye on you!“ 

It was a threat. Keigo could hear it. But he understood them. They may thought that Keigo harms his son in some way. What a sick thought. How Mizuho was able to hide her evil side so good that nobody ever suspected her to harm her child, back then? Or him? No teacher ever asked him how he feels or if something is wrong? It was always just his own fault. But for now he was just happy that the police left and so he turned to his son to talk to him. He was the most important now. But the boy looked on him with a horror, he didn't expect. There was nothing to deny anymore, his son was definetely able to see ghosts. But they would talk later on the boat. Now they had to pack up the most important things. But Kenta didn't moved. Instead he just starred into his fathers face.

“Kenta, I... ehm... we... We are going on a little trip...“

“Daddy...“

“I know it is surprisingly... but... let's call it a... vacation... Yeah, we make a boat-trip...“

“Daddy, your head...“ Kenta murmured distraught and lift his arm. He went with his hand threw his hairs. Keigo could see his hairs start to falling out. The spot felt weird. And it was tickling. In fear Keigo thought that it happens again... and his old burns indeed twinkled a little bit again. But when Kenta pulled his hand back, it was full of black blood. The boy became pale again. “There is a crack... in your head...“

In the Soul Society all alarms sound up. The happening in the north of Hokkaido was compared with the Aizen-Incident years ago in Karakura. Rukia and Renji didn't know what to do first: Execute thier duty and prepare thier divisions. Or explain thier friends in Karakura that the past ten years were a lie and that the truth was more shocking. Both was important... In Karakura meanwhile Ichigo saw in TV that something really strange was going on Hokkaido. Orihime still tried to reach someone within the airline to get more informations...

“... we have confirmed reports about weird happenings in the Okhotsk Subprefecture. Eye-witnesses claim that they literally saw... a huge monster, ripping off the head of a policeman...“

“WHAT?!“ Ichigo screamed when he heared the report in TV. “Orihime! Come quickly, you have to hear that, too...“

Orihime was sick of listening to the music of the holding pattern and hang off to go back to the living-room where Ichigo was screaming. The reports in TV became worse.

“...as I just heared, we have now live-footage from a local weather-cam, that shows a... what the hell is that...“ even the newsanchor lost his composure when he saw the live footage of the 'storm front' on his screens. Ichigo and Orihime were well aware that this 'cloud formation' was not an ordinary storm. It was a 'Hollow-Storm'...

“Ichigo... did Aizen return or... what else can create this...?“

Ichigo didn't know. He was just speechless. “As soon as Ichika is here... we let her get her parents here...“

The newsanchor, who was pretty upset because of the pictures he just saw, tried to remain calm. Than he recieved some new informations over his headphone. “What... oh... Ladies and Gentleman, we just recieved the breaking news that the local authorities declared disaster alarm for the whole area...“

At the soccer-field, Kenta and his friends left several minutes ago, all present people were ordered to get to safety places. At the harbor, all boats were evacuated and all employees were ordered to leave the place. Kenta's friends, thier fathers and around a dozen other men freezed as they saw the ghost in front of them. And to worse the situation it was thier former colleague. A man who died in a work accident, when a big heavy fishing-basket fell on his head...

“Can you see me now... You finally see me...“ the ghost wailed. He was wrapped in chains, right on the place where the accident happened.

The kids and the fisherman were horrified. They were so shocked that they even forgot to run away. Just then the Hollow arrived... and they saw the big black monster, too...

Inside the destroyed restaurant, Makoto woke up when another woman shaked her. The woman heared the crash, but didn't see Keigo running away. When she arrived to see what happened, she found the unconscious Makoto in the car. After several minutes she was able to dig her way threw the debris and reached Makoto's door to get her out. Totally dazzed, Makoto hold her head. There was debris everywhere. The broken windshield was laying on her lap. Slowly she remembered what happened... and than she realized that they were back in the restaurant. Or at least in that, what was left of it.

“Are you allright? Come on and get out... before the whole place collapses...“ the other woman yelled when she was finally able to open the door.

The other woman didn't recognized Makoto, due to her terrible condition. Slowly Makoto climbed out of the car and looked around... Keigo was gone... She was sure that he is now with his son.

“I already called an ambulance...“

“No, I am fine... I think so...“ Makoto said while she and the other woman left the restaurant. Outside, she could see the dark sky. Cold and strong wind blew over the place and Makoto realized that they were all in serious trouble. She took her smartphone, but it was broken... “Miss... I need your phone... I have to call Tokyo immediately...“

At the harbor, a Hollow of the size of a minibus landed directly in front of the group of scared fishermen and the two kids. And than it start to devour the soul of the dead fisherman right in front of thier eyes. The scream of the devoured soul was so loud that it even drowned out the screams of the kids. The Hollow crawled around, looking for his next victim... the fishermen...

“RUN!“ one of them screamed and start to flee from the Hollow.

“WHAT IS THIS MONSTER?“ another one screamed.

The Hollow let out a terrifiying scream, while he used one of his claws to sling the crates with the fishes on the group. Some of them got injured when they were hit by the crates and fish rained on them. With his other claw, the Hollow was able to catch one of the men. He screamed while he was dragged over the ground and got lift into the air. In horror, the others saw the monster sniffed on thier colleague, who was hanging upside down 3 metres over the ground... Finally, the Hollow throw him away for some reason. With a loud scream the man landed in the water...

“GET AWAY FROM HERE!“ someone screamed while the hollow continued trample around.

The Hollow stepped on a hosepipe. A hosepipe that was used to fuel the fishing trawler. It teared and soon the whole ground and parts of the trawler itself were full of the flammable liquid. During it's next step closer to the group, the Hollow cut several electrical cables...

Keigo meanwhile took Kenta into the bathroom, to wash his son's hands and to check himself in the mirror. Whatever happened, luckily it start after he said goodbye to the two policeman and it already stopped. But now he could see that there was really some kind of 'crack' from the place where Tatsuki hit his face, trew his hairs and it went to his left ear, and there the black blood came out of him.

“ Daddy... what's going on here?“

“I don't know! But I promise to you... everything will be fine...“ Keigo said while he scrubbed that black stuff off his son's hands. Always beeing carefully to not to get more of that stuff on him. It became colder and colder... here in thier apartment, too...

In the whole town, the people ran across the streets to seek shelter from 'the storm'. Others start to flee out of town by car. At the harbor, the Hollow cut through several electric cables... Electric sparks start to fly around over the puddle of fuel. Just a second or two later the puddle was on fire. Kenta's friends, who stood only a few metres away, saw in horror the whole pier bursting into flames, as well as the fishing trawler, both of thier fathers just left a few minutes ago.

When the fuel tank of the trawler explode, the shockwave knocked down everyone present. Including the Hollow. All windows of the nearby warehouse shattered, while the trawler was torn apart in the middle. Burned fish rained from the sky. The Hollow was surrounded with fire, as he was still standing in the middle of the burning fuel puddle. He screamed in pain and fled the scene. The bent and burning trawler slowly start to capsize. A man, who was on board, jumped with burning clouthes into the water...

Kenta's friends realized that thier friend told the truth... thier fathers meanwhile grabbled thier sons and start to flee from the flames...

Kenta meanwhile was send to his room by his father. He told him to put some clouthes and the most important things into a bag because they will leave town today until everything has calmed down. His father meanwhile was still in the bathroom to look after the 'holes' in his head... But suddenly both could hear a loud explosion far away. Kenta went to his window and and saw the flash of flame down in the harbor...

“DADDY!“ Kentra screamed and ran back to the bathroom. “DADDY...“

“KENTA, WHAT'S WRONG?“ Keigo screamed when he stormed out of the bathroom. A bandage covering his head.

“DADDY... THE BOAT!“ Kenta screamed. “The boat explode! It really explode... and the plane... WHAT IS GOING ON HERE? WHAT AM I? WHAT ARE YOU?“

Keigo hugged his son, desperately trying to calm the boy down... Honestly, he didn't know what's going on here, too. He just didn't know it. But he knew exactly what kind of monster just appeared outside on his balcony...

In horror Keigo saw the Hollow crashing threw his balcony-door and snapping after them...

Please review.


	16. Chapter 16

Kenta and his father screamed both in horror, when the monster crashed threw thier balcony-door and tried to grab them with one of it's long tentacle-like arms. It was able to catch Kenta's leg and tried to flee with him...

“HEEELLLPPP!!!“ the boy screamed horrified after he was caught and the monster tried to pull him out.

“KENTA... HOLD ON!“ his father screamed and hold his son on both hands. He tried to kick the Hollow away but it didn't help.

Thier loud screaming and the noise of the shattering balcony-door was heared by several neigbours. Two men ran upstairs to help.

Keigo pulled as strong as possible to get his son out of the Hollows grip. It was obvious that it came just to attack them.

“DADDY, HELP ME!“ Kenta screamed again.

Keigo didn't know what to do. When Kenta's right hand lost grip his his hand he tried to grab something to throw it on the Hollow. And so he threw the remote-controller of the TV. But the Hollow was not impressed and simply swallowed it...

The door was kicked oped and the two neigbours entered the apartment to see the monster, too...

“AGHHH... WHAT IS THAT?“ one of the men screamed.

“HELP US!“ Keigo screamed and so the two men start to help free Kenta out of the monster's claws...

More and more Shinigami reached the affected region. Everyone was busy to handle the hordes of Hollows. They soon realized that all the Hollows were on the way to one specific spot. The people in the small town meanwhile, were so terrified and paniced that they fled out of town by car, with busses or by just running. At the harbor, a fishing trawler and a warehouse were burn blazing...

Inside thier apartment, Keigo and his neigbours were finally able to pull Kenta out of the grab of the Hollow. The boy, whose right leg was full of blood now, was flying threw the room and crashed on the floor in the corridor, right before the entrace. Keigo crawled towards him to look after him.

“WHAT'S THAT MONSTER?“ one of thier neigbours screamed again.

Keigo ignored the fact that his neigbours were able to see the Hollow clearly. But than he could hear the screams of the people outside. Kenta screamed, too. Not because he was bleeding out of his leg, but because the monster was still in thier apartment and destroyed thier living-room. Keigo took his son and fled with him outside, where he could see the Hollows flying threw the air...

Rukia and Renji rushed back to the Kurosaki's house. Later saw in TV that obviously the whole region and everyone who was there right now, was suddenly able to see ghosts and Hollows...

“...douzens of witnesses insist on seeing the spirits of the death plane-passengers and several men in black Kimonos using swords to let the ghosts dissappear...“ the newsanchor explained. “Our colleague Makoto Hirabata, was near the crash site and we are still trying to reach her...“

“Oh my god! Ichigo... is suddenly everyone up there able to see ghosts? Why?“ Orihime asked shocked and confused.

“He is telling it like that.“ Ichigo murmured and went to the window.

It was a wonderful sunny day in Karakura. No cloud on the sky, the sun shining and happy children playing outside on the street. It was not comparable to the hell that was opening up in Hokkaido. Ichigo start to feel his son near the house...

Keigo meanwhile fell down when his neigbours stormed out of the apartment and stepped over him. One of them was caught by the Hollow, who left the apartment over the balcony again. The other neigbour jumped over the balustrade in panic and fell into the yard. Keigo placed himself over his son to protect him and used one hand to hold the boys eyes. He screamed endlessly. He was afraid. And Keigo was so, too. He had no idea why suddenly so many Hollows appeared out of nowhere.

Keigo could see around one-hundred Hollows flying over the town. Maybe more. Like predators surrounding thier prey. And they looked for something. On the street Keigo could hear more and more cars. The people wanted to flee out of town. Including the woman, who helped Makoto out of the restaurant...

The woman just brought her to her house. Makoto wanted to use her phone. But as soon as they arrived, the husband of the woman, took his wife and forced her into the car to flee out of town, too. Both screamed on Makoto to join them, but instead Makoto ran away hid in the couple's house, where she found a laptop with webcam. Luckily it was running and logged-in. Just what she needed. She sat down at the desk and used the laptop to contact her channel again... it was time to fix some old mistakes...

Keigo lift his head. He realized that the Hollows were after them. But the monsters seemed confused... Like they were not able to localize them directly. 

“DADDY... Are this...“ Kenta wailed, but Keigo hold his son's mouth to prevent that he busts them.

“SSHHHH... Be quiet!“ Keigo hissed and looked up again. 

They barely escaped the Hollow in thier apartment. But that one was gone... Keigo lift up carefully, to look around. As long as these Hollows are circling over them, they would never reach the harbor alive. All people were suddenly able to see them and in panic everyone ran away to seek shelter somewhere. Carefully, Keigo looked back into his apartment. It was heavily damaged but empty. The Hollow was gone. Maybe, they could hide here until the Shinigami handled the Hollows and flee after. It was simply too dangerous outside now. And he would be able to treat his son's injuries here...

“Kenta, quick... go into the bathroom...“ Keigo said and shooed the boy inside. Outside, he could see how a Hollow grabbled a woman and draged her over the ground.

In horror, Keigo had to witness how the woman, he saw several times before but never really talked with her, was bitten by the Hollow and than the Hollow start to lick off her blood. It was so disgusting. Like the Hollow was more interested in her blood than into her soul. Than the monster, left her behind on the crossroad and attacked her husband instad, who tried to safe her...

“HEY GUYS! GET OFF THE STREETS! OR THESE MONSTERS WILL CATCH YOU!“ Keigo screamed as loud as possible. Screaming was one of his biggest talents. It was one of the things the people couldn't stand about him in the past. But now he hoped that his 'penetrating' voice let the people understand the situation. “HIDE! HIDE SOMEWHERE!“ 

Indeed the people could hear him. And so, instead of fleeing out of town, they decided to hide inside thier houses. It was way safer. And Keigo did so, too. He hid with his son in the bathroom to treat his son's leg...

In Karakura, the taxi, Kazui and his friends took after his father strictly ordered him, stopped in front of the clinic. Ichigo came out after he felt the presence of his son and paid the driver hastily. After that he shooed the three teenagers in. Inside, Orihime finally recieved an information from the airline...

“...ah... I found her... Tatsuki Arisawa! She was booked on the flight from Haneda yesterday!“ the woman from the airline told. Orihime was crying for several minutes and told her a sad story to force her to tell her what she wanted to know.

“Yesterday? But today... she was not aboard?“ Orihime asked full of hope.

“No! According to my data, she was on yesterdays flight from Haneda. And not from todays flight from Narita.“

“Oh, thank you! Thank you so much, I am so relieved, now!“ Orihime said and said goodbye before hanging off. Right in this moment, Ichigo came into the room, together with the three teenagers. “Ichigo, I finally got through. And Tatsuki... was not on board...“

“Oh my gosh! What a relieve!“ Ichigo said. 

Orihime was extremely relieved, too. She was so happy that she even had to cry. But she was still wondered why Tatsuki was not answering her phone. Than she turned to her son...

“What the hell did you think when you did that. You lied to us, than you tried to interfere into the life of a foreign child. Kazui, we thought that you are dead. In TV we had to see that the plane, you wanted to take, exploded after it crashed into a paddy field...“

Suddenly Ichigo remembered something. He remembered that he saw something similar several days ago. So he cut off his wife...

“...you are grounded! For how long depends on... Ichigo? What's up?“

“It exploded in a paddy field... The child predicted it!“ Ichigo realized. Suddenly he understood the connection. “Orihime, I saw that vision of the child, too. It predicted this crash...“

Just a second later, a door to the Soul Society suddenly appeared in the room. Rukia came threw the door and joined them. She was totally distraught, pale and agitated...

“Ichigo, Orihime... Oh, HI kids, Ichika... you are grounded! Ichigo... Orihime... it's about Tatsuki...“

“Oh, everything is okay! I just talked with the airline. Tatsuki was not on board of the plane...“ Orihime said relieved.

“Oh, she can't be on board of that plane. Because she is in the Soul Society since yesterday. And she is under arrest!“ Rukia explained.

“WHAT?“ everyone present screamed shocked...

At the same time, Makoto was finally able to arrange to get Live on air again...

“I hope it is worth it?“ the director asked.

“It will be!“ Makoto said. Outside she could hear the Hollows circling over them. She was pretty sure that she won't survive this day. But she hoped that this auction would safe Keigo and his child... “I have to be Live on air, at any cost!“

In his bathroom, Keigo treated his son's bleeding leg. The boy was still totally scared. He had the feeling to not to recognize his own father anymore. It was not because off that Keigo was bleeding black blood or that he had a crack in his head, which was definetely not humane. Keigo just finished cleaning the wound and wrapped a bandage around it. After that he wanted to throw away his torn and blood soaked trousers but his son asked this question again...

“What am I?“

“What do you mean with that? You are a boy! A brave and healthy little boy.“

“And what are you?“

“I don't understand!?“

“Daddy,... are you a ghost?“ with this question, Kenta really scared his father. “Is that the reason why we can see them?“

“Oh, please this is ridiculous! We are normal humans. You are not the only one who is able to see this creatures right now. Everyone here in town sees them. I don't know why. But it is neighter your nor my fault. Understand? Now it is important that we keep calm and don't get paniced...“

“You said... that we go to the harbor immediately... to make a boat-trip.“

“Yes, but... After these creatures are gone.“ Keigo said and hugged his son. Thier only hope now was that the Shinigami take care of this situation. And as soon as the Hollows are gone, he would be able to get his son out of town and to Russia. But for now they were forced to hide here in thier bathroom... “Listen... we have to wait here. I just go and get you other pants...“

While Keigo left the bathroom for a few seconds to get clean clouthes for his son, several Shinigami arrived right in front of thier house.

“Okay... The orgin of the wave... is living right here... he and the child have to be protected at any cost, until we have sealed him...“ the Shinigami explained. He was once part of the commission and now in the department for humans with spiritual awareness. And he was well aware of the truth. But he was not sure what to expect in Keigo's apartment. To be honest, he was slightly afraid of entering the place...

Keigo stormed into his son's bedroom and looked for some clean clouthes before storming back to the bathroom and locking the door. Just a few seconds later, the Shinigami arrived on the balcony and went inside. He was shocked about the chaos. It was obvious that a Hollow already arrived in here. But he could feel that both were still 'alive' and that they hid in the bathroom. So he knocked on the door.

“HELLO! Are you in there?“ the Shinigami asked while he tried to open the locked door.

Keigo was able to feel them again by now. And his son realized it, too... The voice, talking to them, belonged to a Shinigami.

“Hello... I know that you are in there... we... I am from the police!“ the Shinigami lied. Maybe it would calm down them. He knew Asano's psychological profile. If he smashed the door open, Asano would freak out... So he had to earn his trust...

In Karakura, Rukia told Ichigo, Orihime and the kids everything. Still upset but now the others were pretty upset, too...

“SO THEY LIED TO US ALL THIS YEARS?!“ Ichigo screamed so loud, that it hurt in the ears of the others.

“AND TATSUKI WAS KILLED BY KEIGO?!“ Orhime screamed with tears in her eyes.

“No, looks like Tatsuki was killed by spiritual pressure when she killed Keigo?“ Rukia explained. She didn't understand her own words, too.

“What? You just said that he is still alive and up there in Hokkaido?“ Ichigo moaned.

“The idiot from the department explained me this. Listen to me, I know that these are too many bad news at once but we need your help now. Back then, Keigo kidnapped his son to hide up in Hokkaido only because he was afraid that that what happens right now there, happens. And if we don't interfere now, at least half of the people in Hokkaido will de dead before lunchtime...“ Rukia moaned. In the meantime, Renji arrived...

“HEY, look what I was able to arrange for us. This is some kind of portal-creator... It is a direct way for us to go to Hokkaido instantly...“ Renji yelled.

Right there, Keigo hold his son's mouth in the bathroom. He wanted to prevent that the boy screams and busts them. He prayed for the Shinigami not beeing able to feel him. But that was ridiculous? He didn't know very much but he knew enough to be sure that they were definetely able to feel them. The Shinigami knocked again.

“Oh, please! We are here to help you... ASANO!“ now the Shinigami screamed. Keigo was horrified... The Shinigami meanwhile stopped talking for a second to calm down. He remembered that screaming on Asano would make it worse. “Please, I am begging you to listen to me... The Hollows are here because of you... they want you and your son. And we don't know for how long we will be able to keep the situation under control. When Arisawa attacked you yesterday... she killed you...“

Keigo didn't understand it. He didn't understand anything anymre.

“Listen... We know that you were not responsible for Kurosaki-Gate, ten years ago. There was a terrible misapprehension back then. We all really regret what happened. So please... You can only safe your son and yourself, if you trust us. Please open the door. I can feel the spiritual powers you are radiating. And if we don't treat you immediately, your body will blow up like a balloon...“

“Daddy, who is that?“ the boy wailed afraid. “And who is Asano?“

“Ssscchhh...“ Keigo hissend and looked around. There was nothing in the bathroom, he could use to defend himself. “Who is there? And who is this Asano? I don't know anyone with that name?“

“Please, Asano-san! We know everything! About your accident, and about your life. You know how difficult it was to hide you? We are responsible for your passport and your ID. Thanks to us, you were able to live under your new name! We unlocked the hospital security-door for you to kidnap your son. And we took care that no Shinigami comes close to your son. What ever is going on here, only with your help we will be able to stop it...“ the Shinigami told. The whole place was trembling and there was a huge noise outside. “Please open the door! I need to see what Arisawa did, to know what do do to repair your Gigai...“

“What are you talking about?“

“You died back that night! The body you put into the taxi to burn it, was your original human-body...“

Keigo suddenly got flashbacks... from the accident... how he crashed down the slope with the taxi... the fire... his legs were on fire... The body... The Shinigami took care of this other body the whole time...

He start to tremble and looked on his hands. HE... a Gigai? Is he just a artifical body? What's that nonsense? That's totally impossible... It was impossible that he is a dead person in an artifical body?

“If you don't open the door, I will kick it in!“ the Shinigami yelled. “We are loosing time. More Hollows are on the way and we can't handle them any longer...“

Keigo didn't know anymore. Was it really over? Was really everything a lie? Did he really didn't 'hide successfully'? Was he really 'hidden by' the Shinigami? And if it was true, what is the reason for it?

“Kenta... sit down in the bathtub and stay down!“ Keigo whispered and took a big towel to cover the boy before he sneaked to the door. “If... If I open the door, you will just... smash a sword threw my chest, admit it?!“ Keigo wailed.

Far away, he could hear a very loud explosion. The fires at the harbor were spreading faster and faster and just reached the big fuel-tank. When it explode, the shockwave let all windows in a radius of a half kilometre burst. Due to the hard work of the Shinigami, the Hollows became less. But the reinforcement of Hollows seemed to be endlessly. In Karakura, Ichigo and Kazui left thier bodies, Ichika left her Gigai and Orihime got a 'soul-ticket' to get threw the Shinigami-portal to Hokkaido. Yupa walked threw the portal, too. But he was left behind, as he was no Shinigami and had no Soul-Ticket. While he start to get upset because he was left behind he saw how the TV programme suddenly changed...

“...Am I on air?“ Makoto asked afraid and breathing hardly. Face and clouthes full of blood...

“Yes, Hirabata-san. You are live on air... What is going on? What is happening right now up there?“ the newsanchor in the studio in Tokyo asked totally shocked and worried.

Yupa stared on the TV and sat down.

“I am... In the Okhotsk Subprefecture! In a little town called...“ the connection was bad, but it became suddenly better. “... Monsters... attacking the the people... They are called Hollows! I know it because... because 10 years ago... I already reported about them. But nobody remembers... This... is a personal plea to... Ichigo Kurosaki... from Karakura-cho in the Tokyo Prefecture... He... is a Shinigami...“

Yupa start to scream. She did it again? She exposed the Kurosaki's in TV again... live on air...

“...he is the... only one, along with his... other living-dead friends... who are able to fight this monsters. Please, I am begging you... I am so sorry for exposing you in TV back then. Keigo Asano didn't did it, as you think. His violent sister... Mizuho Asano... she abused her child and wanted to get revenge on Keigo because he report her to the police. She send us a package with very disturbing stuff... Kurosaki, HELP US... OH PLEASE HELP US...“

After that the connection to Makoto was cut. The power failed in the town.

In Keigo's apartment, all lights start to flicker briefly. Keigo was scared but than suddenly the light in the bathroom went on again.

“Asano, please! I am alone and not armed...“

With trembling hands, Keigo slowly and carefully opened the door. To his surprise, the Shinigami took even a step back...

When the door opened, Keigo saw the Shinigami in front of him. He was like all the other Shinigami he met in his life. A big, strong guy with a burly body who wore a black Kimono and a sword. But unlike all the other Shinigami he met before, this one had some kind of friendly expression. He remembered him a little bit on Kaneda Ochi. The Shinigami he met prior to his 'death'.

“Asano-san, it is a pleasure to met you finally. By now I just read about you in your file. I was responsible to update it...“ he said friendly. Keigo didn't know how to react. When he opened the door a little bit more, the Shinigami was finally able to see the 'damage'... “Oh my gosh... Now I am not surprised that the spiritual energy is popping out of you so strong... Arisawa damaged your Gigai so badly... I don't know if we can safe it. I think you will need a new one!“

“Are you... going to kill me now?“ Keigo asked coldly and as quiet as possible. “If it is true... spare my son! He has nothing to do with anything of this.“

“No, nobody will kill you! Especially not your child. Unfortunately, Arisawa already did it when she... you didn't mention it? You didn't mention that your...? I can see from here that your neck is broken at two places...“

Keigo lift his hand to feel his neck at the place the Shinigami mentioned. Indeed he could feel that his neck felt weird. Is it... oh it is really broken! But shouldn't be he dead, by now?

“Tatsuki... she...?

“She is in custody! You didn't kill her, Asano! We found her body in the freezer you and Hirabata buried in the forest. You barely hit her. Looks like she died due to the imense spiritual energy that shoot out of you when she attacked you...“

“Ikkaku?“

“Your son won't be punished. Maradare scared him. That's clear.“

“Ichigo?“

“He does not know that you are alive! But he had eye-contact with your son. Looks like it activated a Fullbring ability in your son.“

“He is here! I feel him...“

Ichigo and the others just arrived threw the portal on the road right in front of his apartment. Both families were shocked about the situation in town. Far away they could see the blazing flames at the harbor. Everywhere were injured or dead people. Makoto lost connection with her channel but was kind of relieved when she saw Ichigo threw the window. She went down and hid... She really believed in Kurosaki's words and really hoped that it was true when he said that he really misses Keigo. So he would help him, or not...

Ichigo could feel Keigo... really strong. He could feel him in the small apartment-building next to him. As soon as he was sure where he was, Ichigo jumped up to the first floor and stormed threw the door...

Ichigo became pale when he saw Keigo. Keigo felt his burns start to crumble when Ichigo stormed inside in his Shinigami-form and looked on him...

Both gazed on each other for a few seconds without saying a word. Both weren't able to say a word. Ichigo was totally terrfied about what he saw... Keigo... with grey hairs, and looking much older than he should. His face disfigured with burns. And with a terrible injury in his face, he got from Tatsuki. Ichigo was also able to see under Keigo's shirt that his neck was definetely broken. A normally lethal injury. So it was definetely a Gigai... Rukia was true when she told him. A distraught, traumatized man who start a new life under a new identity. For his son. The boy was in the bathroom. He could feel him there. And Keigo... he was way more shocked about thier meeting than Ichigo. And latter even start to cry...

“Keigo?!“ Ichigo wailed and wanted to hug him immediately. But than he stopped. He knew what happened the last time when he came to close and to fast. A heavy wind gust blew threw the destroyed balcony door and blew threw Keigo's hairs. That was the moment, Ichigo could see the crack in Keigo's head. This body was very close from falling apart...

“Ichigo?!“ Keigo wailed back. Mentally he prepared to die. But before so, he carefully closed the door to the bathroom. He didn't want Kenta to to hear anything. Both Shinigami realized that Keigo wanted to protect the child inside the bathroom at any cost. They saw the pain in his face and the will to do really everything to not let anyone of them close to the boy. And Keigo was really ready to everything. There was no runaway anymore... it was time to face his fears...

“Keigo... What happened to you? I am so... so endlessly sorry!“ Ichigo wailed and sank down on knees. Keigo didn't believe his eyes. If it was a trick, it was a good one. But Ichigo really looked totally distraught. “I know everything... Rukia told me everything and she forced this so called department to tell her everything... I know you only did this to protect your son. You never wanted him to be able to see Shinigami. You didn't want that he gets treated so poorly like we did it with you. We were terrible friends...“

“You... You said the exact same words ten years ago...“ Keigo remembered and thought about the fateful evening on his terrace. “... and... in a few seconds the others will storm in, too and... than... what's next?“

Ichigo didn't know what to say. Another heavy explosion in town let the house tremble. The fire was visible threw the destroyed balcony door. A nearby house collapsed and the power finally failed here, too. And than suddenly Orihime, Rukia, Renji, Kazui and Ichika appeared in the door just like Keigo predicted. Everyone with pure horror in his face when they saw Keigo and his current condition.

The Shinigami from the department of humans with spiritual awareness took his ID out of his pocket to prove to Keigo that he told him the truth and that he was just here to help him.

“Asano, our department was formed after the Kurosaki-Gate. Also because of you. We listened to your interview you hold with Hirabata. And we will force the Kurosaki's and the Abarai's to listen to it before they even dare to get close to you...“ the Shinigami explained, confusing everyone present just more than he already was. “Asano, after your accident your soul was put into this special isolating Gigai, to prevent that you attract Hollows. Your human-body was so hardly injured that the present Shinigami had to take care of your body. But you freaked out and than you burned your body and...“

“That was my real body?“ Keigo asked scared. “I burned my real body?“

“You... You don't know that this is just a Gigai?“ now the Shinigami was pretty confused. “Well... that explains everything... But you have to know that the Gigai was hardly damaged when Arisawa attacked you. It is going to fall apart. Your soul will be exposed and than you will...“

The Shinigami was not able to finish, because Keigo start to scream...

“HOLLOW!“ 

And suddenly there was a huge noise in the bathroom...

Inside the bathroom, Kenta hid in the bathtub for the whole time. His father ordered him so and so he did. He didn't hear what they talked about in the other room. But he could hear that it was about a guy called Keigo... But than he realized that something went closer to them... Long before the distracted Kurosaki's and the Abarai's could feel it. But before he was able to scream, something crashed threw the wall right over him and a big black claw grabbled him...

“DADDY!“ he screamed as loud as possible.

Keigo, who stood in front of the door for the whole time, stomed into the bathroom and tried to get to his son.

Kenta could see his father approaching and later was able to grab him, but the Hollow jumped off and flew away with the two

It happened so fast, that no present Shinigami was able to react. They all just saw Keigo and his son flying away with the Hollow...

Please review. STAY HEALTHY!


	17. Chapter 17

Kenta could feel that they were flying threw the air. The icy wind from the sea blew violently around him. It was so intense that it felt like in the middle of a tornado. His father was with him. Both screamed. The Hollow took them up in the air. Higher and higher. Thier burning hometown below and thier fleeing inhabitants.

Keigo didn't know what to do now. He wanted to safe Kenta out of the Hollow's grip at any cost. But if the Hollow would unleash them now, both will fall down on the ground an die. They were too high, now. He and his son hit with thier fists on the monster, as strong as they could, still hoping that it may drops them off at the ground safely. 

“KEIGO... WE'RE COMMING!“ Ichigo screamed as loud as possible and jumped up in the air to slain the Hollow.

Ichigo was so fast, that Keigo had no time to react. It was a super-speed, Keigo on the one hand was very impressed off, on the other hand was very scared off. And so, Ichigo's sword impaled the Hollow, that kidnapped him and his son and it finally let them go... 120 metres over the ground...

Kenta start to scream again when he start to fall down. His father right next to him. Somehow he was able to grab him, but something suddenly torn them apart...

Makoto stormed out of the house, she was hiding in and wanted to run away with the other people. But than she saw Ichigo slaining the Hollow and Keigo and his son falling down. She screamed in horror, when she saw father and son falling down for thier doom, but suddenly, two other Shinigami jumped up in the air... One catched the boy, the other one his father... Makoto jumped into the bushes and took her smartphone to continue filming everything for the Live-broadcast...

Ichika got Kenta, while the Shinigami from the department catched Keigo and took him away from the scene to treat him...

“DADDY...“ Kenta screamed loudly when he saw his father disappearing. “LET ME GO! LEAVE ME ALONE! AGHHH...“

Ichika did her best when she tried to calm down Kenta. But she was not able to, because he was too upset. Kenta's face was full of blood, as well as his clouthes. He tried to push Ichika away. She was one of them. She was one of this creatures his father warned him about. He screamed, he kicked and slaped her. Ichika was too surpised about the boys behaviour that she let him go, just to not to upset him more than he already was. She knew that the boy had to be pretty terrfied now. But than he ran away...

“HEY... COME BACK!“ Ichika screamed.

Kenta ran away and picked up something from the ground to throw it on Ichika to stop her from following him. It was a small piece of debris. A part of a roofing tile, to be exactly. Ichika was so surprised, that she didn't even avoid the tile before it hit her head. The impact was not very hard and not even pretty painful. It was just a very small piece. But now she was distracted. And so she didn't look where she was running and stumbled over something. Kenta ran around the next corner and she lost him...

“DADDY... DADDY, WHERE ARE YOU?“ Kenta screamed loudly.

There was a huge chaos all around him. Houses were on fire, the streets were covered with debris... and with people. Some were alive and twitched. But many of them were definetely dead. A river of blood flowed between his feets...

Totally afraid he looked around again. Normally he knew his hometown. He knew every road, every house, every crossroad and even every bush. But now he didn't recognize it anymore. He had absolutely no clue where he was right now. But he recognized the faces of the dead people around him. He didn't endure it and ran away to find his father...

Later was 'kidnapped' by the Shinigami from the department of humans with spiritual awareness and brought to a safe place. Away from Ichigo and the others. Keigo react like his son: He screamed, slaped and kicked. The Shinigami unleashed him too and tried it with words. The crack in Keigo's head already reached his neck. The spiritual energy was literaly spilling out of his body. Keigo looked around shocked. The Shinigami brought him to the forest... and out of town...

“KENTA... WHERE IS MY SON?“ Keigo screamed on the Shinigami.

“He is safe, don't worry!“ the Shinigami screamed back and took something out of his pocket. “Asano... you are falling apart! Just let me fix your Gigai... This is the only way to stop the Hollows attacking this town...“

Another Hollow aproached... and indeed a Hollow jumped out of the bushes and tried to snap Keigo. The Shinigami jumped in and slained the monster. Keigo used the chance to flee from the spot. But another Shinigami suddenly appeared out of nowhere and stopped him...

“LEAVE ME ALONE!“ Keigo screamed. When the Shinigami didn't let him go, Keigo smashed his elbow into his face. The Shinigami roared in pain when Keigo broke his nose. But he was still able to hold him while he continued to kick with his arms and legs to free himself.

“I think we need more help!“ the overwhelmed Shinigami screamed...

Ichigo, his family and the Abarais meanwhile were busy... The Hollows became less, but they didn't stopped from approaching from all over. It was like every soul and Hollow from all over Asia was on the way here. And at the same time, the Hollows seemed to swarm out again. Because they were neighter able to feel Keigo, nor Kenta.

“ICHIGO!“ Rukia screamed when she approached him. “Ichika lost the boy! He ran away and we can't find him.“

“WHAT?! We have to find him! He can't handle the Hollows by himself.“ Ichigo screamed. “Where is Keigo?“

“Two guys from the department got him and took him away!“ Renji jelled. He watched everything. “They went this way!“

Ichigo had no clue where to go first. It was obvious that Keigo was protected by the department for all this years and they still protected him. Not only from the Hollows, but also from them. And the child? Who was looking for the child, right now? Ichigo used his powers to localize souls. He tried to find the boy...

The boy ran across the streets, until he passed a house, whose owner just came out to get his cat inside. The man saw Kenta running outside, jumped in his way and grabled the boy by his shirt instinctively. He wanted to get him inside, to be safe from the 'aliens' and because it was too dangerous outside.

“YOUNG BOY, THIS IS TOO DANGEROUS! COME AND HIDE!“ the man screamed full of fear.

“I HAVE TO FIND MY DADDY!“

“NO! THE ALIENS WILL CATCH YOU...“ the man screamed but Kenta was able to free himself and ran away. He didn't want to hide. He knew that the man just wanted to help him, but he was also pretty sure now, that these 'aliens' were after him. And he didn't want to endanger the man. Or his cat! And so Kenta continued running until he met his friends at the next crossroad...

“KENTA!“ Rin screamed with waving arms when he spotted his friend. His friends Rin and Taro, thier fathers and several other fishermen and harbor-workers escaped the inferno, that was still raging at the harbor, and looked for a safe place to hide.

“GUYS!“ Kenta screamed and approached his friends.

Kenta wanted to get to his friends. He was relieved that they were unharmed. But a man from the group, whose face and clouthes were full of blood, rushed forward, grabled Kenta and pushed him down on the ground.

Kenta screamed. He never experienced someone treating him like that.

“YOU!“ the man screamed angrily. “YOU LITTLE MONTER... WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?“

Kenta wanted to scream in fear, but he was not able to. The man remembered the both other boys talking before: Telling thier fathers that Kenta predicted all this. The plane that crashed in Konan and than the explosion of the trawler here in thier harbour. The boys wanted to stop him. The other men tried to calm down him, too. But he grabled Kenta again and threatened him...

“I don't... know it!“ Kenta cried... the angry man meanwhile was so close from abusing him or doing anything else bad to him and had to be stopped by the others. “I SWEAR IT...“

“YOU LIE!“ someone else screamed.

Kenta turned around and saw a woman. She was watching them threw her shattered window the whole time. She was pale and she hold a knife in her hand for self defense.

“I... I saw you that day... On the soccer field, in the bushes, where they found the dead child several years ago... You... You talked to someone. You talked with someone, but there was nobody. And just a few seconds later... that tornado start to rage, right there were you stood...“ the woman told. The fear in her voice was hearable. “And... than the incident in school... Everyone says that you predicted the debris hitting your teacher... Are you some kind of... a witcher? A medium? Or what ever? WHAT ARE YOU?“

“I DON'T KNOW IT!“ Kenta screamed again before he saw a small Hollow aproaching them. “AGHHH...“

Kenta tried to avoid the attack and turned away. The small Hollow seemed confused. But luckily it missed him just a few inches, made a looping and hit the powerlines right over the group. One of the cables was torn off and fell on the ground right between Kenta and the man who tried to attack him again. The man was still full of anger, but than he stumbled... and fell directly on the cable...

In horror, all present people saw how several hundred volt shoot threw the man's body. First turning the man unable to move, than filling his whole body with unbearable pain and than setting his clouthes on fire... Another man instinctively tried to help, but as soon as he touched him, he got a electric shock, too and became unconscious. The Hollow came back, grabbled the man to drag him across the whole crossroad. Together, the others tried to beat the little monster to force it away. Kenta had to witness everything. Until he could hear someone calling his name... It was his fathers voice...

Keigo ran like a maniac across the burning, with waste and debris covered streets. Looking for his son... He had to find him, before someone harms him. His body start to feel weird. And it became worse with every second. It felt like his body turns 'rigid'...

“KENTA! KENTA, WHERE ARE YOU?“ Keigo screamed as loud as possible. And he was able to scream really loud. Since always. But not only Kenta was able to hear him. Everyone else, including the people who knew him for a very long time now, were able to identify this voice...

“That came from this way!“ Orihime realized and pointed to the direction the voice came from.

“He wants to get to his son!“ Rukia added. “You saw his head... he will blow up like a balloon.“

“And what happens than?“ Ichigo asked.

“Than, every Hollow in this area will storm towards Keigo immediately.“ Rukia explained, while they ran threw the town together to get to Keigo.

It was simply to much at the same time: Keigo, his child, Tatsuki, this Hollow-Invasion... Nobody of them even had a single second of time to think about it, or to handle the shock about Keigo was just his soul in a Special-Gigai living in North-Hokkaido with his son he kidnapped ten years ago to protect him from the whole Shinigami-Hollow-Supernatural stuff.

Yupa Taramasaki, who was a part of all this voluntarily, did everything possible to prevent the situation in Karakura to escalate, too. He locked all doors and windows in the Kurosaki's house, hid the 'corpses' and tried to calm down his angry parents, who stood both in front of the clinic. Both saw the report in TV and were convinced that thier son is 'jinxed'. Again!...

Kenta meanwhile saw the Hollow let off from the now dead harbor-worker. It was severly injured now and had to flee from the angry crowd. The man who attacked him was still burning until someone arrived with a blanket to extinguish the flames...

“KENTA!“ his father screamed again.

Kenta turned around to see his father approaching: “DADDY!“

Kenta lift up to run to his father. Or at least to that what was left of him. The crack in his head became longer and the black broth still came out of it. But Keigo was so relieved to see his son again. These few minutes felt like a eternity. Next to the boy, there was a burned corpse on the ground. Keigo didn't want to even think about the fact, that his son might saw the man dying. 

“KENTA, I AM HERE!“ Keigo screamed. They were just a few metres away from each other. “DON'T BE AFRAID! WE WILL MOVE TO RUSSIA...“

But suddenly several people appeared between him and his son. To be exactly: The Kurosaki's and the Abarai's...

“KEIGO!“ Ichigo screamed before Keigo crashed into the Shinigami and was stopped abruptly.

Keigo could feel Ichigo's arm in his chest... He remembered that feeling from school... Kenta screamed, but he was catched by Kazui and Ichika. In the meantime, thier parents surrounded Keigo, who was sitting on the ground now. Like wild animals surrounding thier prey...

“DADDY!“

“Calm down! We won't hurt him!“ Ichika jelled. “We only want to help him...“

Ichigo, Orihime, Rukia and Renji looked on Keigo. Much to his surprise, they didn't looked angry or mad. They looked kind of relieved and sad. Everyone could see the crack, that opened after Tatsuki's attack threw his torn shirt. This crack was the orgin of the spiritual wave. Kenta and his uncontrollable fullbring somehow triggered something, too...

“Keigo...“ Ichigo wailed and fell on his knees.

“Come on... bring it on!“ Keigo said hardly breathing. “Finish it!“

Everyone was surprised and confused.

“What?“

“That, what Tatsuki began!“ Keigo wailed. “But... no matter... what you do to me... Let me say, just one thing... Hands off... my son...“ with this sentence he shocked his former friends just more than they already were. “...He... didn't... did anything...“

“We don't want to harm him!“ Ichigo wailed and bowed to apologize. “Oh, please... Keigo... I am so so sorry... Everything! This is all just our fault...“

Keigo mentioned that it was hard for him to breath. All over around them suddenly a lot of ghosts, other Shinigami and humans who hid inside thier houses before appeared to watch them. Slowly Keigo realized something...

“The... the man... in the taxi... That was you!“ Keigo realized. “Be... Because of you... the boy was suddenly able to see ghosts...“

“That... that was not on purpose...“ Ichigo murmured.

Just in this moment, two other Shinigami appeared. Both from the department and they had some kind of canister with them...

“Here we are...“ the Shinigami jelled and opened the canister to spill a stinking, pale green liquid over Keigo. Keigo start to protest. The others, too. Kenta screamed again. But it was necessary. “...That's just a liquid for Gigai-Repairs. And it isolates Asano's spiritual energy...“

“Just leave him alone!“ Ichigo screamed. Keigo was surprised.

For the humans, this was just an act of bullying: A bunch of violent guys tormenting and humiliating thier victim. If this was some kind of TV-play or movie, this would be the scene that was supposed to turn the viewers angry and to turn the bullys into hate figures. Makoto filmed everything from safe distance and commented it for the TV-broadcast just as that what it looked like: A public humiliation of an innocent human by the Shinigami. But Keigo mentioned that it was turning the black liquid from his wound, into some kind of glue and his body seemed to stop crumbling...

“DADDY! LEAVE HIM ALONE!“ Kenta screamed and escaped from Kazui's and Ichika's grip to run to his father. There he pushed the Shinigami with the canister away. The overwhelmed Shinigami lost balance and fell down, dropping the canister.

The stinking liquid, covered Keigo and Kenta was spilled, too. His father just took his son to lay over him to protect him.

“We really don't want to hurt you...“ Ichigo start to beg.

“GET AWAY!“ Keigo screamed now with his normal, for everyone recognizable trademark voice. “KEEP OFF, EVIL GHOST!“

Ichigo and the others suddenly start to feel some kind of heavy windgust. An invisible force, let everyone shy away for one or two metres from Keigo. It was a spiritual power. Nobody was able to feel if Keigo was the one who pushed them away, or his son. But it was pretty strong. And now that everyone was away, Keigo was finally able to see the whole mess...

This little town, in the north of Hokkaido, that was thier home for so many years, turned into a battle zone. Thier peaceful and carefree town wasn't anymore. Houses were on fire or were so hardly damaged that they were uninhabitable. A huge firestorm destroyed the harbor. Everywhere corpses or injured people laid on the ground. The spirits of the victims were all around them and they could feel that Keigo was a ghost, too... Keigo had to cry. And his tears were made of blood. But only the others were able to see it.

“This is the reason I left!“ Keigo said while he stand up carefully and hugged his son. “This is the reason I never told you about the boy. I didn't leave because you just tolerated me... or because you humiliated me. I was just too naive and to dump to realize that it was so. No... I left because of this... because of all this... this what's going on here and what you see here... LOOK ON IT! LOOK ON THE HELL! LOOK ON THE HELL THAT CAME OVER OUR WORLD!“

Keigo screamed so loud that Makoto's camera was able to record the final sentence. Keigo's former friends realized immediately what Keigo wanted to say them...

Keigo hold his son. It was strange, and also very disturbing... seeing all these people looking on him like he is a attraction in a freakshow. It looked like they were standing for him in a trelis. Many of them full of blood, with fear in thier faces. The ghosts looked weirdly on him... some kind of begging...

Keigo was a ghost. He realized it by now. He didn't feel the body anymore he was carrying with him. He had to accept the fact that he was not more than puppet. A broken puppet, made and conroled by the Shinigami that will fall apart and crumble into dust before the sun sets tonight... He didn't know what hurt more: The fact that he had to say goodbye to his son, now. Or to confess to him that thier whole life was a lie. Now he could only hope that Akira will take care of thier son now and will give him a happy life in the lonlely bareness of Sibiria...

“So, your real name is Keigo Asano?“

“Yes!“ Keigo answered wistful when he took his son by his hand to walk away. He still had to get him out of town. He just left the totally stunned and overwhelmed Shinigami behind. He didn't care for thier feelings. He just saw that they were hurt by his words and that was enough for him.

“And... everything in our life is a lie?“

“No! Not everything! You... are authentic! You were born with your name. I am the lie. I am the liar. And I am so sorry! I didn't want anything of this happen.“

“Mommy?“

“Your mother is in Tokyo! The is the woman from this sitcom! She agreed that I take care of you, to prevent the Shinigami from finding you.“

“Do we really have to move to Russia?!“

“If you don't want to... we just look for another place to live. Russia, Korea... another planet... whereever you want to go.“ Keigo murmured while he felt his feet start to crumble.

“I don't want to move away!“ Kenta answered.

“Me, too... Kenta! Me, too!“ Keigo wailed, before he could feel that it happens.

Threw his torn clouthes, Keigo could see that the crack suddenly extend from his neck over his chest and down to his stomach... The stinking liquid just helped for a few minutes, or this body was too damaged before so that even that had no effect anymore... It didn't hurt! It just felt realy weird... to see your body breaking apart...

The viscous black liquid inside of him, start to splash out of him. Some people faded away in shock. Others screamed. And others just turned around disgusted.

“DADDY!“ Kenta screamed when he had to see his father falling apart...

“OH NO!“ one of the Shinigami screamed.

“KEIGO!“ Ichigo screamed after. “What's happening with him?“

“His Gigai is failing...“ another Shinigami jelled.

“Daddy, what's wrong with you!“ Kenta jelled, when his father fell on his knees.

The Hollows around them, stormed towards them immediately...

“WATCH OUT!“ someone screamed. Ichigo maybe. Keigo didn't listen. He just saw the Hollow approaching. And than it happened again... something jumped inbetween them...

Keigo could feel that the Hollow hit his broken body. And he could feel that a Shinigami tried to push himself inbetween him and the monster. He saw a trail of orange... Ichigo!

Ichigo jumped inbetween them to prevent the Hollow eating Keigo's now 'exposed' soul. Later pushed his son away to safe him from the Hollows attack. That was the moment Ichigo used his Zanpakutou again...

The people screamed. Keigo was not able to feel anything anymore. And Kenta was now finally traumatized... as he had to see his fathers head falling on the street right in front of him...

Kenta screamed, the people around them screamed... and Ichigo screamed, too... When he used his Zanpakutou to cut threw the Hollow, the lace of his sword got into the crack in Keigo's Gigai and torn it apart once for all. Keigo's head was torn off and fell on the ground, right in front of his son. Full of fear and horror, Kenta looked on his fathers head and screamed again. And his father, finally felt the body around him falling off, revealing his true ghost-form...

To his surprise, it was painless. Ghosts don't seem to feel pain, Keigo thought when he saw his body, of which he thought that it was the one he was born with broke apart and fell on the ground like a dismembered corpse. The black liquid (was it blood or glue noone knew) splat in all directions and sprinkled over the disgusted witnesses. Keigo saw that he was 'transparent'. He didn't have a chain of fate anymore. It seemed to have vanished long before...

“OH, NO!“ Ichigo screamed. That was the moment he realized that he 'really killed' Keigo this time.

From safe distance, Makoto filmed everything with her smartphone. She screamed, too, while millions of TV viewers could see Ichigo 'cutting off Keigo's head' Live...

Keigo looked on Ichigo succintly. He knew, his body was going to crumble anyway within the next hour. But was it really necessary to do it in front of so many witnesses.

“This time, it is your fault!“ Keigo murmured angrily. He was not even able to finish his sentence, when right behind him the Gates of Hell appeared...

In panic, the people ran away, when the Hollow Ichigo just slained and several other Hollows were sucked threw the hole...

“WHAT IS THAT?“ Keigo's ghost screamed.

“THE GATES TO HELL!“ Ichigo answered.

“HELL?“ Keigo was totally perplexed. So it was true. And the Hollow, that just attacked him and his son vanished threw the portal.

All over the town, the humans could see the 'alien Monsters' circling threw the air neighter vanished into black smoke, nor were sucked into the glaring light, that was once a crossroad... but turned into a huge Gate to Hell. For the humans, it looked like mosquitos flying into an electric insect killer...

It was an incredible view. Shocking but also very fascinating. No Shinigami has ever seen such a big Gate to Hell. While all Hollows seemed to vanish, or were pulled into hell, Keigo's ghost looked after his son...

Later still stared on the detached head of his father and just mentioned his father when he was right in front of him.

“Kenta, Kenta, look on me...“

“Daddy... They... They killed you?!“ the boy cried. Seeing his father as a ghost was a huge shock. He barely recognized him. Of course Keigo's ghost looked like the living Keigo ten years ago before he died: brown hairs and a scare less face.

“Kenta... I am here... don't be afraid.“

The earth was trembling. The fleeing humans were thrown down to the ground... the Gates to Hell start to grow... and they were already much bigger than any Shinigami have ever seen before. When they became bigger, one more Hollow was sucked threw the Gate. After the last Hollow, it normally had to close... but it didn't...

“What's going on?“ Orihime screamed.

“The Gate is unstable...“ Rukia realized. “It's not closing...“

Keigo, who could hear them, looked on his son and than on the Gate. He could imagine why it is not closing...

Makoto, who was still filming everything, was not able to stand anymore because the earthquake became stronger. But she was now close enough to film Keigo's dismembered body and his ghost that tried to hug the boy one last time... But he was not able to touch him. Kenta really wanted to hug his father, too. But he was just able to see but not to touch him... And Ichigo meanwhile somehow tried to handle the energy from the Gate to prevent Keigo getting in it. All other Shinigami, Humans and spirits were so scared that they were not able to move. But Keigo knew why the gate didn't close... one soul was still missing...

“Kenta...“ Keigo said and looked into his son's eyes. “I love you! And no matter what happens... LIVE! LIVE YOUR LIFE! And let nobody force you to be someone you are not!“

Keigo tried to kiss his son on his forehead. Kenta mentioned it and start to cry again. But than his father vanished, passed Ichigo, who was still distracted, and prepared to go to hell, too.

“KEIGO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?“ Ichigo screamed terrified. His family, his friends and nearly every other human or Shinigami around them, who witnessed everything start to scream, too. They all realized that Keigo was about to go to hell by himself...

“I get what I deserve for my sins!“ Keigo moaned repentant. “Farewell, guys!“

With this words, Keigo let himself fall into the gate...

Keigo could feel it: The pain, the sorrow, the torment... and this terrible and tormenting noise... that's how he always imagined the hell: A place in that he will feel hellish agony for eternity... he could see Ichigo over him, how he tried to reach him with his hands to catch him, but Keigo was already too far away. Ichigo screamed endlessly, how sorry he is. Keigo just closed his eyes. He could see the gate closing. So his time was over... and now really this time... He really wanted to see Kenta grow up. But he was not even able to protect his son from all this. He deserved it... he deserved to burn in hell. Because he was a liar, because he kidnapped a child, killed Tatsuki and because he was responsible for all the victims of this Hollow-Invasion...

All the humans in town, who were forced to witness everything, were totally shocked and perplexed about Keigo's act: He sacrificed himself... for his child and for everyone else. Makoto still screamed, while she continued filming... But than the people could see that Keigo's act was a sucess: The Gate to Hell start to close...

Ichigo screamed Keigo's name ever and ever again. But he was not able to do anything. He could only see Keigo beeing sucked into hell... The others screamed, too. They couldn't accept it and they didn't want to. Despite the fact that the surrounding Hollows all vanished... But suddenly, there was this bright flash of light...

Keigo was able to feel it, too... suddenly he didn't feel any pain anymore... and he felt something else... he went up... he could feel that he was torn up again...

The present Shinigami were astonished when they saw Keigo's soul poping out threw the already half closed Gate to Hell, turned into a black butterfly like in a Konzo and vanished in a bright light... The Gate to Hell vanished, too and suddenly it was silent... The crossroad was back on it's place. Even the car, the people saw disappearing in the Gate was back on it's place...

Ichigo, who stood right in front of the Gate, was thrown down and sat now on the street. He never ever saw anything like this. It was... indescribable. Keigo's soul was already on the way to hell, but the hell seemed to 'deny' him. The hell 'denied' to take Keigo's soul. And now there was this silence again. It was so quiet, that they could hear the waves at the coast. It was not far away, but it sound so soothing. The sun was shining! They sky was cloudless and blue. It was a wonderful day again... if not the half town was on fire...

Kenta screamed desperately for his father. He and all the other humans, just saw Keigo going to hell. They didn't mentioned that Keigo's soul was 'spit out' again. But why? And how? Is Keigo now on the way to Soul Society? Keigo was also surprised when he realized that he was not on the way to hell anymore? Did the Shinigami safed him against his will? For a brief moment, he just saw that he was passing the Gate again and entered the world of the living again. And than he start to vanish, but it felt good. Some kind of nice. But it was so fast, that he was not even able to look for his son one last time. Later finally turned frantic...

“DADDY! NO...“ Kenta screamed with tears in his eyes. “WHY?“

Some Shinigami slowly realized that they just witnessed a very rare phenomenon: A good soul, walking threw the gate to hell... But the hell itself, didn't accept the soul. Not because the hell didn't want it. But because the soul had a pure heart and was 'too good' for hell. And Keigo Asano was way 'too good' for hell and did not fit in it... But with his brave act, Keigo managed to close the Gate, that was just too big and almost destroyed the rest of the town. He safed everyone. But all the human witnesses, including Keigo's totally hysteric son, didn't understood it... They just saw a man beeing doomed...

“AGGHHH... YOU MURDERER, KILLER, KILLER...“ Kenta screamed loudly and hammerd with his fists on Ichigo who was still sitting on the ground.

“HEY... HEY!“ Ichigo screamed back. “CALM DOWN... YOUR FATHER IS NOT IN...“

Kenta kicked Ichigo into his hip as strong as possible. Ichigo was so shocked about the attack and the pain in his hip, that he needed a few seconds to realize that Kenta ran away again. Later rushed away, passed the shocked and terrified people to flee from this mess.

“He is running away!“ Kazui screamed and turned around. Just in this moment, a fist hit his face... the present humans start to attack them.

They witnessed everything. Or at least that what they were able to understand and to mention. They were still able to. The spiritual wave over the area vanished quickly, but everyone in the area will be able to see the spirits and the Shinigami for a while now. As well as thier cameras. And these cameras just filmed how Keigo, or Masaru (the people didn't care for his real name) was first decapitated by the Shinigami and than was send to hell by them. And everyone was sure that it was just because they were after the child. The people were full of anger. They were angry because so many people were killed, thier homes were destroyed and about the hell they just experienced. Ichigo mentioned something when he looked into the peoples shocked faces: He just created several hundred 'new Keigos'! People who had to witness the hell without knowing the full truth or beeing able to understand it...

Kazui hold his hurting face, while a man with a shovel attacked him. Ichika had to attack him to stop his attack. A thrown stone hit Orihime's right shoulder. Another one hit her stomach. A man took a gun to shoot on Renji...

The people didn't care for them beeing Shinigami who 'were able to eat thier souls'. They only knew that everyone who weared a black Kimono and a sword, was in some way responsible for this disaster. And so every present Shinigami start to feel the full rage of the humans. Everyone who was able to, used Kidou or his other powers to escape. Ichigo was attacked with a baseball-bat before he reached his family and fled with them... and in the middle of this mess, Kenta managed to escape without beeing seen.

It was a carnage. And Kenta witnessed everything. Ichigo was was pretty sure about that. And he will never ever be able to forgive himself. And Keigo... some Shinigami screamed that he was on the way to the Soul Society now and that it was just a matter of time before he will appear thier somewhere... And they had to go there immediately, too. Because some policeman start to shoot them, too... And because they were still visible for the humans, thier cameras filmed everything and the whole incident was already broadcasted in TV... they were officially monsters again... And it was thier own fault! Just them. It was not Keigo's fault, or Makoto's, or of anyone else in this town... Despite Yupa's loud protests and his attempt to curse Makoto when he was arrested in front of running TV cameras in Karakura... It was over! Once for all...

Kenta ran into the forest, between the trees and out of the burning town... he could hear the gunshots... the screams... the sorrow... he didn't turn around to look what happened... he wouldn't endure it... he just continued running... an so he disappeared in the dark forest... while his burning hometown was devoured by the flames...

Please review and stay healthy!


	18. Chapter 18

Every TV network in Japan aired the footage of abadoned places, a town that was half burned down and half destroyed, of burned cars, the crash-site of the plane, of overcrowded emergency-shelters and hospitals that were so full, that the patients had to be treated in the corridors... Makoto meanwhile made her report...

“...this is Makoto Hirabata, exclusively from the Okhotsk Subprefecture for Tokyo-One. Three days after the terrible monster-invasion, still nobody dares to enter the affected area. Everyone still fears more attacks or another encounter with a Shinigami. The number of casualties is increasing with every hour. By now 491 deaths have been confirmed. Including the 195 victims of the crash of the Nihon-Pacific-Airlines flight that was probably also caused by the invading monsters. At least 1.500 people got injured, including many children. According to local police authorities no more Hollows, ghosts or Shinigami have been spotted. The public prosecutors meanwhile, announced that they will charge Ichigo Kurosaki for murder. The exposed Shinigami and his whole family, presumbly fled to the 'Soul Society'. This is the Name of the world, where the Shinigami normally live in. This is at least what we figured out...“

After a picture of the Kurosaki-family was shown, the TV aired a video of Mizuiro. It was when the police arrested him and escorted him out of the airport...

“... A presumed accomplice, Mizuiro Kojima, a businessman was arrested yesterday when trying to enter the contry at Narita Airport. Until now he didn't give any statement. Kojima, who's been living in Moldova for several years, denies any involvement. Conspirancy theorists suppose, Kojima working for the Soul Society and trying to increase there influence in East Europe and Russia. The Moldavian government meanwhile started own investigations. The Japanese ambassador was banished out of the contry. The contry also closed it's borders for Japanese citizens temporarily. The Russian government plans to held a press-conference today...“

Pictures from Moldova, Ukraine and Russia were shown. Also footage of the Japanese ambassador and how the Moldavian police had to protect him from angry protestants throwing stones on the Japanese embassy. After the Kremlin in Moscow was shown, the picture changed to Mexico...

“...The famous boxer Yasutora Sado, who was also part of Kurosaki's close circle, was shoot dead today in Mexico City. Sado invited several journalists to a press conference, promising to answer some open questions voluntarily. The murderer, a 40-years-old, previously convicted man from Karakura, insulted the Japanese-Mexican boxer racistly before firering several times on Sado. The culprit is under arrest... according to unconfirmed sources, he was once a close friend and accomplice of the convicted felon Reichii Oshima, who was executed several years ago...“

The news showed a dead body, that was covered with a white cloth, laying on the ground between some chairs. Than they showed a insane looking man who had to been hold by four policeman to get him into the police-car. After that they showed a picture of Reichii Oshima. Than the picture changed to Yupa... with a black stripe over his eyes...

“The seventeen years old teenager, who was arrested in the Kurosaki's house at the day of the attack after he tried to hide corpses, commit suicide in the psychatric hospital of Karakura. According to other students, he was the best friend of Kazui Kurosaki and presumbly aware of everything. According to unconfirmed sources, the young man was in an intimate relationship with a Shinigami. The invstigastion is still in progress...“

The clinic was shown, more pictures of Yupa and a very special one made by one of his classmates secretly... A picture of Yupa and Ichika smooching in a cinema. For the press this picture was worth a lot. But than the most important picture of all was aired: An around three months old picture of Kenta, that was once taken in school...

“...But the most important question of all is... where is Kenta Osaka? The nine-years old son of the killled actor and seiyuu Keigo Asano, is still missed. A big search operation after the boy was unsucessful. Experts are convinced that the boy is traumatized and needs help after what he saw and what he was forced to experience during the Monster-Invasion. His mother, the well known TV-actress Akira Fukuoka, asked in a TV interview the whole contry for helping to find her son. At this point, we want to point out that that the boy is 'not' and I repeat 'NOT' dangerous...“

After fragments of Akira's press conference and more pictures of Kenta were aired the news aired a map. The map showed the area, the police guessed Kenta. The picture finally changed to Makoto... her left arm in a cast that was placed in a sling, a bandage around her forehead and with visible injuries all over her body... standing on the coast and the abadoned destroyed town right behind her...

“...Kenta... If you see this... please call us. I know it is hard for you, but even if your father is gone, there are still many people caring for you. Nodoby blames you for what happened here... So... Please... Whereever you are... Please, contact us, or the police!“

Makoto broke a taboo. She cried in front of the camera... but she really wanted to convince Kenta to contact someone. She didn't care for the public opinion about her emotional outburst in TV. But she felt quilty...

Another person, who was tormented by his guilt was Kenta, who walked down a lonely road in the mountains between Shari and Shibetsu. He was alone, afraid and confused. He didn't know where to go, or how much time have passed or where he even was. He only knew that they could be in Russia now, together. But now his father was in hell... and he was here... alone...

Makoto continued with her report...

“...Keigo Asano once left Karakura to be free. Free from the bad influence of the Shinigami, his family that never wanted him and from the prejudices of all other people that turned him into a nobody. A weak-willed victim without any grit. But Keigo Asano was not a 'victim', he was a fighter... A fighter who was willing to do everything to safe his live and the live of his son. A brave soul that went to hell voluntarily to safe his son's life and the lives of many other people in this town including mine, despite the fact that he does not belong there... A man who stayed here in the living-world, to take care of his child. A man who was way more than just a guy who choosed the wrong friends...“

Pictures of a younger Keigo were aired, pictures from thier high-school-time, taken by thier classmates. Pictures of Keigo beeing struck down or beaten by Ichigo, Tatsuki, Renji or anyone else...

“...Following next in our programme, you will see a report about the live of Keigo Asano. And before, exclusively on our channel... you will hear a audio recording of an interview, Keigo Asano gave to me, ten years ago during his brief inprisonment. In this interview, he told me about his relationship to the Shinigami...“

It was a lie, that the recording was ten years old. It was the intervew, Keigo gave to her just a few days ago. The Shinigami forced her to record it. But she had a copy, too. A copy with a much better quality... And it was time for the people to hear it. Maybe the 'idiots' in Karakura finally understand that Keigo was not a 'will-weak-loser', she thought.

“ Finally...“ Makoto continued. “...I plead to all of you, to keep your eyes open. The boy is still somewhere here around. There is no need to be afraid of him... Please just call the police or contact your local authorities. Makoto Hirabata from the Okhotsk subprefecture, for Tokyo-One News!“

While Makoto concluded her report, Kenta continued staggering around across the lonely road and tried to understand what was going on.

He knew that he was alone. His father was in hell, where he didn't belong to. But he didn't know that it was not true: Indeed, his father was in the Soul Society right now. Locked up, after his own request to be away from the others. They meanwhile, desperately tried to talk to him, but Keigo punished them with his silence. Kentra thought about his father... and his mother... who was alive... should he go to her? Move to Tokyo to live with her? And if he does, will she accept him? Will she accept the fact that he is able to see ghosts? Never? He just didn't know what to do now...

Two days ago, he approached a house in a village near his hometown. When the inhabitants recognized him, they threw stones after him because they were afraid that he could lure the monsters again. Yesterday, he went to another house, where the same happened. And today... today he walked across the road alone, hungry and freezing. Not knowing what will follow... The sun start to set and soon he will be forced to spend the night in the forest. The third night in a row. But suddenly he could hear a car approaching...

First, Kenta wanted to hide. He didn't want anyone to see him like this. Or to throw stones at him again. But it was too late. The driver of the car saw him and stopped right next to him.

The lights of the headlights were blinding him, so hard that he had to hold his hand over his eyes to protect them from the bright light. The driver's door opened an a person got out. An adult... with long hairs... a woman.

“Kenta? Kenta Osaka?“ the voice asked in a neutral manor. Now Kenta could hear that it was a woman.

“Please,... Please, don't harm me!“ Kenta begged. He was not able to see the woman's face, because the headlights were still blinding him.

“Oh... Do you know that the whole contry is desperately looking for you.“ the woman said before she bend down into the car again to switch off the headlights.

Now Kenta could see that the woman had dark-brown hairs and was around fourty years old. She looked tense and like she was in hurry. But she seemed also happy that she found Kenta. She really was. Because Kenta was the reason she was here anywhere...

“I... I... didn't burn down the town. I swear...“ Kenta wailed and went a step back.

“Hey, just get into the car and be silent. I will take you to your mother.“ the woman said in a very harsh voice and opened the back passenger-door.

“My mother?“ Kenta asked surprised. “Do you know her...“

“Yes!“ the woman said in this very harsh sound again and went closer to Kenta. But she was a liar... “Come on!“

“But I...“ Kenta wanted to protest. He didn't know the woman and he didn't know what she wanted from him, or why she was so rude to him. But before he could know what happens, he suddenly felt a hard tearing pain in his face... the woman just slapped him without any reason...

“GET IN THE CAR YOU LITTLE BASTARD...“ she screamed and grabbled both of Kenta's ears. Kenta had to scream, because it was extremely painful when she squeazed his ears to pull him on them into her car...

“HELP!“ Kenta screamed as loud and as strong as possible... “HELP...“

His father always told him, when a foreigner attacks him like this, or tries to force him into a car, he should scream for help as loud as possible. But they were alone. He tried to kick her legs, but even that didn't stopped her.

“SHUT UP!“ the woman screamed again and slapped the other side of his face...

Another woman, who was riding her bike and just came around the corner, saw Kenta from safe distance and was shocked about what she saw. She took her smartphone to call the police...

Kenta tried to defend himself as good as possible. But the woman was way stronger than him. It was more than obvious that she wanted to kidnap him. But the more he resisted, the more she became mad and agressive...

The other woman meanwhile, told the police everything he saw: “Yes, she is trying to kidnap him. And... oh my gosh... she beats him... come quick...“

Kenta continued screaming, while the woman realized that she hated the boys voice more than the voice of his father. So she opened the trunk lid and Kenta was thrown inside...

“Gosh your voice is even more annoying than your fathers...“ she said when she smashed the lid close.

“LET ME OUT! PLEASE, LET ME OUT! WHO ARE YOU?“

The woman took a deep breath, pulled her dress straight and went with a hand threw her hairs before heading back to the driver's seat. Looking neutraly and like nothing happened.

“You can call me Aunt Mizuho!“ Mizuho Asano explained. She was really his aunt, but she was never allowed to meet him. “And now shut up! Oh, and by the way... your father is responsible for this...“

After these words, Mizuho drove away... While the siren of a police-car start to sound up somewhere. Rushing to safe Kenta...

THE END (?)

Please review!

Well, so this was the alternative third part of the 'Living-Souls-Trillogy'. Thanks to all loyal readers who gave this story even more hits and visitors than the original published story. With almost twice as many clicks I couldn't avoid a cliffhanger-horror-ending. Thanks to everyone and most important: Stay healty!


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